The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding the arrangements for the sitting of the House on Wednesday, 17 December 2025, to be taken on conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; No. 2, motion regarding appointment of members of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, to be taken on conclusion of No. 1, without debate; No. 3, motion regarding the Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2025 - back from committee, to be taken on conclusion of No. 2, without debate; No. 4, Finance Bill 2025, a certified money Bill - Report and Final Stages, to be taken at 3 p.m. and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 4.15 p.m. by the putting of one question from the Chair, which shall, in relation to recommendations, include only those set down or accepted by the Government; No. 5, Social Welfare and Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System (Amendment) Bill 2025 - Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken on conclusion of No. 4 and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 15 minutes by the putting of one question from the Chair, which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Government; No. 6, Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks (Amendment) Bill 2025 - Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken on conclusion of No. 5 and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after three hours by the putting of one question from the Chair, which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Government; and No. 7, motion regarding the proposed approval by Seanad Éireann of an opt-in to a Council decision authorising member states to sign, in the interest of the European Union, the Third Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters, to be taken at 7.45 p.m. or on conclusion of No. 6, whichever is the later, and to conclude after 40 minutes, with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed five minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed five minutes, time may be shared, and the Minister to be given not less than five minutes to reply to the debate.

As we call out the horrific actions in Gaza and the West Bank in this House, so must we call out the appalling actions on Bondi Beach over the weekend, where 15 people were callously murdered on the first day of Hanukkah as they gathered to celebrate their faith. Our very deepest sympathies must go to the families and community of all of those impacted. Our thoughts and prayers go to all the members of the agencies who came to try to help and support those injured and the families of those who died. Many of us have memories of being on Bondi Beach and of spending time there. It is a place where a lot of Irish people go. This time, many years ago, I was on Bondi Beach myself. Now, we are hearing of the futility of this. When we think about it, we all share the same planet and all our blood bleeds the same. We all share the same hopes, aspirations and dreams. We again see this awful war just spilling out and impacting so many people. We just have to pause to think, reflect and hope that someday this awful war will be over.

This morning, I went, as I do every year, to Paul O'Connor, who has a herbal shop in Newbridge, to get an immune tonic. I highly recommend this immune tonic. It has got me through many winters. In the course of the conversation, he told me had to put his prices up by 33%. The price of a bottle has gone from €35 to €42. Why is this the case? It is because he was contacted, as indeed were others in the same business, a number of months ago to be told their products are now being treated as luxury goods. This means the VAT has gone up to 23%.

Now, holistic treatments are important and it does not mean people are rejecting modern medicine. The herb is very tightly regulated in Ireland, and rightly so. Anybody who is an herbalist has to have licensing according to 2007 legislation. It is absolutely wrong, though, that people would be penalised. I am talking about the people who would actually go to receive and buy these products, which absolutely help to support their immune systems. I would, therefore, like to see a debate on this issue.

The Central Bank of Ireland today published the national claims information database, NCID, liability insurance report. It is one I have been very much looking forward to seeing just to see what impact all the reforms the Government has been doing are having on our insurance premiums. We see that insurance companies have recorded a 10% profit margin on liability insurance in 2024.

However, liability insurance premiums have increased by 23% since 2020. Premiums are going only one way and that is up. In many cases legal fees match awards. If there are two people, one going through the litigation channel and one going through the personal injuries board, they are both getting the same compensation but one is paying hundreds in legal fees and one is paying thousands in legal fees. Every unnecessary euro spent on litigation is a euro taken away from wages, community services and local investment.

The following is a mad statistic. In 2024, the average compensation payout through the Injuries Resolution Board was €25,484 and the legal fees were about €694. If someone went to the resolution board, they paid €694 in legal fees and got €25,000 in compensation. Through litigation, the payout was €25,900, so about €300 more, but the legal fees were also €25,000. So, it cost €694 through the Injuries Resolution Board or €25,000 in legal fees by going through litigation.

I really urge the Leader to ask the Minister to come in and debate three things with us. First, can we do a massive media campaign to push people to go through the Injuries Resolution Board? Second, can we get a straight answer from insurers as to why their profits are up but premiums have risen by 23%? How is that? Third, what is our plan to cap legal fees? I have just read out those figures - €694 through the Injuries Resolution Board compared with €25,000 through litigation - yet 70% of people are still claiming through litigation.

I went to Limerick Prison yesterday with the justice committee. We were given a presentation with some very stark numbers. It costs €97,000 a year to house an inmate in Limerick Prison. Between 4% and 11% of the general population in Ireland has a personality disorder. For inmates in prison, that figure is 60% to 70%. There is a trend there. The female prisoners in Limerick Prison have said they feel safer going into Limerick Prison because they come from domestic abuse and coercion in their homes. They actually feel like they are in a safe place when they get into Limerick Prison. A lot of the time the judges are sending them to prison as a protection.

What I took from the entire visit was that early intervention is key in this country, whether that is on the justice side, the health side or the educational side. We were told that if 80% to 90% of the inmates had been caught between 14 and 16 years of age and given early intervention, whether through youth diversion or for mental health needs they may have had, they would never have ended up in prison. It is fairly stark when we think it costs €97,000 a year for each inmate in Limerick Prison. That is a lot of money. Could we not look at investing in our children and in these early interventions, whether it is mental health or youth diversion? I know we have some really good youth diversion programmes. We have one in Rathkeale in County Limerick and they do amazing work. All these things need to be ramped up. We need to look at the start of the process and not putting them into prison and paying that kind of money.

They also have staffing issues in Limerick Prison. When they have to take inmates to court for little things like sentencing dates or pushing things out or adjournments, it can take them a whole day to transport them and get them back to prison. Prison officers have to travel with them, whereas they could do video links for these five- or ten-minute sessions which would not require any staff, but when those staff have to leave the campus, that is pulling the staff from the schooling and workshops they do and from the doctors and the dentists, so they cannot have a doctor or a dentist there. The dentist that was there yesterday told us he is only there once every two weeks. If the staff get pulled from him, he cannot bring inmates in to look at their dental issues, so that is a full month that an inmate is going to be sitting there waiting with pain in their teeth or whatever their issue is. I would love to have a debate in the House on early intervention and the possible ramping up in all sectors, not just the justice sector but also health and education.

On 26 September, we had a very useful debate in the House in relation to Irish sea fisheries. We all went out that day feeling fairly chipper about the Common Fisheries Policy negotiations that were coming up. Even though the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, went out with a lot of people standing at his back in great support, effectively what they got in the Common Fisheries Policy negotiations at the end of last week was a slap in the face. The seafood industry has been treated very poorly. The failure it delivered to us last week represents the lack of survival of many Irish vessels and seafood businesses.

The EU has repeatedly failed the Irish fishing industry. The latest failure last week means devastation and effectively sees the Common Fisheries Policy as a policy that has failed. It is symptomatic of a fundamentally unfair system where large member states and big business can essentially dictate what is happening in the Irish fishing industry. The Seafood Ireland Alliance said that over 2,300 jobs in coastal communities could face immediate danger in the next year with a wider impact which could mean a €200 million loss next year. The so-called Hague preferences created in 1976 to protected highly dependent fishing nations like Ireland have been blocked by member states for the first time in 50 years. Aodh O'Donnell of the Irish Fish Producers Organisation asked last week, "If this protection cannot be honoured why should Ireland continue to offer generous access to our rich fishing waters?" The action of member states will see many of our vessels limited to less than 20 fishing days a year, with tiny quotas. We are being punished unfairly for the reckless behaviour of others. Non-EU states ignored the science and inflated their catches. They created the crisis. Ireland fishes responsibly yet we are now carrying the can. The fish exporters are worried too. They cannot survive without a supply. Less quota means less fish and less work. Many plants may not survive without adequate raw material.

A long-standing agreement based on Ireland's access to the exclusive economic zone appears to have been broken in the latest denouement. It is a deeply troubling turn of events for the Irish fishing industry, a very sad day for Ireland and a disaster for the dysfunctional fisheries council process. The alliance says the EU and Government must support the fishing fleet. It beggars belief that next year in 2026, the Irish fleet will be able to fish for 26 tonnes of sole whereas the Belgian fleet can fish for 20 times that, 450 tonnes. That is not justifiable. We need to ask our Minister to come back to the House to report to us on what went wrong, where was the rug pulled from under our feet in the negotiations last week and to follow up on the Minister for agriculture's promise to the Dáil that the report from the community would be put before all member states on the fallout from Brexit.

Often, when we have school tours in this House the Cathaoirleach will make a gesture by saying they should be given the day off homework. Last week, I received some communication from a student whose name is Brion Kellett. I invited him in today to listen to the Order of Business because I thought his email to me really captured why that should not just be a gesture and we should rethink homework. The contribution is via me but it is Brion's. Homework is given as if everybody is the same but kids all work at different speeds and have different skills. Some kids find it easy to sit down and do their homework, others find it hard to concentrate and remember what they learned in school. If kids find homework hard, they can feel embarrassed or ashamed and they may feel there is no point in doing it even if they know they will get into trouble. This can make a lot of kids feel worse, especially people who are already finding it hard in school. If there are lots of people to help them at home, they might get the support they need, like they do from teachers in school, but if their parents are busy or do not understand the subject, everybody can get upset. That makes it even harder for the kid to learn properly.

Homework is supposed to help with learning but Finland does not give homework and kids there do as well as those in other countries. Brion does not think it is about homework; it is about the school you are in and the home you live in. Teachers do not know what goes on at home but give homework and then give punishments for not doing it as if everybody has the same home. Brion did a survey of his class and people spent very different times doing their homework, from 20 minutes to over an hour for some. That does not seem fair. We need to think about all the other things that are important for kids, not just education. We know fresh air, exercise, doing things that make your brain and body feel good and playing are important. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child says kids have a right to play. It is likely more important than school for our well-being, health and happiness. Brion asked his class what they did on days they did not get homework and it was evenly split between sport, hobbies, playing with friends and screen time. Being good at things outside school can help kids feel happy and proud. Kids, like adults, can end up being too busy and tired. Then everything in school, including homework, gets harder and harder. Adults get to rest when they finish their work and kids need that, too. Adults need to really think about homework, why they think it is important and what else might be important for kids. Kids need to be able to do all the important things in our lives and not just homework.

I thought this illustrated a number of things. It was also an acknowledgement of the clarity of thinking of a young boy who can see how important play is in one's life and how important sports and recreation are. We often have discussions in this Chamber about different types of family and the fact some families are living in hotel accommodation, some families are one-parent households, or families where the mother has to go out to work in the evening. There are so many different types of situation, yet the class as a whole will be given a broad sweep of homework and everybody will be expected to finish it even though not everybody can contribute in the same way. It should not just be a gesture or a luxury for someone to get no homework. It is a really serious conversation about why it is necessary for our education system. I congratulate Brion for engaging not only with this Chamber, but also with his classmates in having discussions. If I have to leave the Chamber for the justice committee meeting at 3 p.m. before the Leader comes back in, it would still be helpful if he could respond so Brion could see the process play out in terms of his contribution to the Chamber.

Hear, hear. Well done to Brion.

I wish to raise student accommodation. It is December 2025 and we were promised that a student accommodation strategy would be published this year. It was said it would be published in the summer, then in December, and now we have confirmation it will not be published until 2026. This has not been a priority for the Government. This feeds into the wider housing crisis. There is a lack of purpose-built accommodation and students are suffering from the cost of living as well. Technological universities cannot borrow funds to build student accommodation or purchase lands, so this needs to be addressed urgently. My request of the Minister, Deputy Lawless, is that he give an update on when that strategy is going to be published. The Minister has not ruled out increases to student rents in the private sector under the rent pressure zone, RPZ, legislation, if there will be increases next year, the year after or when that might be. We are opposed to that. We will be hosting a cross-party Opposition action on Thursday at 11 a.m. outside the gates of Leinster House and anyone is welcome to join. This will be in conjunction with student unions to call for action on student accommodation because this is urgent.

I also want to raise the issue of assessments of need. There are 18,000 currently awaiting such assessments, most of whom are children. This figure is set to rise to over 22,000 by the end of the year. This is really concerning and the announcement from the Government last week was not clear. There are many answers that need to be received in relation to it, especially about what role the Department of education is going to have in assessments of need now. I am being contacted by teachers who are worried that they are going to have to take on extra casework in relation to this.

We know 85% of teachers in this country are experiencing some level of burnout. They need to know what is happening with this, who will conduct these assessments of need and how these school places will be assigned.

I welcome friends of Senator McCarthy, namely, Darius Tindere and Barry Cassidy. They are both welcome to Seanad Éireann.

I echo the words of my colleague, Senator O'Loughlin. Our thoughts are with all those who lost their lives. It is such a difficult time in Bondi Beach. I would also like to recall the two heroes who saved countless lives by tackling those gunmen. It gives me a little bit of hope for the true spirit of Christmas that they may have saved lives.

Thinking of heroes, I urge people across the country to look towards the community groups and volunteer groups who will try to make Christmas a little better for people. People are struggling. Not everybody will have a happy Christmas, though they would love to. Do not wait until a bucket is shaken under your nose. Go to your local Vincent de Paul or community group. See how you can help. Donate toys to toy drives, etc. Make sure you are helping in whatever way you can to provide a happy Christmas to people in need.

With that in mind, I will mention some in my home town of Drogheda. The Drogheda Rotary Club and the Drogheda Soroptimist Club have for 19 years held their remembrance tree appeal. It will be found in the Laurence Shopping Centre on West Street and in the Southgate Shopping Centre. They have collected funds over the years for many groups. This year is for Drogheda community centre, Drogheda and District Support 4 Older People and Meals on Wheels. It is an amazing cause. If you see something like that in your community, make sure to support it.

The Fairytale of Dundalk is in An Táin on 22 December and is raising funds for the North Louth Hospice. Unfortunately, tickets are sold out but please dig deep and help any community group across the country that you can support to make Christmas better for those in need. Go raibh maith agaibh.

Last week I called for a debate on the trend of small towns and villages losing financial services. It was covered in local media at the weekend and that resulted in one of the institutes I mentioned, the credit union in Elphin, getting in touch with me. It is closing down the service it was providing in Elphin. That is based on trends it is looking at but the closure still deserves inclusion in a debate in this House. A number of the credit union's members use its online services and a number use services in other facilities. The facility in Elphin was only open for two hours and 40 minutes per week anyway. It is encouraging its members to go ten minutes down the road to use the same services in Strokestown.

I want to highlight the fact that even though it was not viable for the credit union to maintain the building, it is maintaining the ATM service in Elphin, allowing people to do lodgements in a secure box there, facilitating withdrawals and providing an additional service for people with accessibility needs. All of these are important elements of providing financial services in rural Ireland. Even though the facility is closed, the fact the credit union is continuing to provide those facilities demonstrates the ethos we need to encourage in that debate.

I welcome tomorrow's debate in the Dáil addressing SI 75/2022 - Planning and Development Act (Exempted Development) Regulations 2022. That scheme, which allowed for vacant commercial properties - namely, shops and pubs - to be converted into residential properties, was due to end on 31 September this year. I am delighted to see it is coming up in the Dáil Chamber tomorrow. I believe it will be discussed in this House as well. It is an important element in revitalising, restoring and bringing people back into our rural towns and villages.

I welcome, as a guest of Senator Ruane, Brion Kellett. He is most welcome to Seanad Éireann.

I rise today with a heavy heart to express my deepest condolences and solidarity with the victims of the abhorrent attack at Bondi Beach. On the first evening of Hanukkah, a night that was meant to illuminate hope and unity, two individuals inspired by Islamist ideology opened fire, killing at least 15 innocent people, including a child, a Holocaust survivor and two rabbis. This grievous act has rightly been condemned as antisemitic terrorism. In offering our thoughts and prayers, we must also reflect, seek moral clarity and be watchful of antisemitism emerging in our country. All too often, we see extreme Israeli and Zionist voices conflate the Palestinian people with terrorism and extremist groups such as Hamas. We rightly reject this rhetoric, which conflates an entire people with the actions and beliefs of a few, as the language of oppression and genocide.

Likewise, we must rise above such rhetoric if we are to lead as a moral voice on Gaza. At the moment, we are failing. I refer to the push to rename Herzog Park in Dublin. It would be one thing if the park wore the name of Benjamin Netanyahu, but this park in our historic Jewish neighbourhood honours Chaim Herzog - a man from that community, a former president of Israel, a progressive politician and the son of Yitzhak Herzog, a former Chief Rabbi of Ireland. Yitzhak Herzog was a fluent Irish speaker and a supporter of our independence.

The proposal to strip Chaim Herzog's name from the park is a deplorable act of erasure against Jewish-Irish history. It reflects a simplistic, black and white attitude that undermines Israel's right to exist, challenges a two-state solution and conflates the Jewish people with the sanctions of the current Israeli Government. This is amateurish, fanatical thinking. If we want our voice as a nation to have moral authority, we must do better.

When State agencies fail to listen to local county and city councillors on the ground, the consequences are invariably negative. There is a growing frustration among councillors. They sit through lengthy local area or county development plan meetings only for the Office of the Planning Regulator, OPR, to overrule them and to decide with a stroke of a pen that it knows better. For example, when I was a county councillor in 2024, we tried to zone lands for sports facilities in Loughrea. However, we were overruled, and it has caused a lack of sustainability in Loughrea. For example, in the past few weeks, Loughrea Rams' under 12 soccer team have had to make 40 km round trips for home games in Athenry. Our secondary school's rugby team has to make 126 km round trips to Creggs to play rugby. Some Gaelic football matches have had to be forfeited because of a complete lack of pitches.

If the OPR had listened, Loughrea's sporting carbon footprint would be 5% of what it currently is. This shows the ramifications of not listening to local councillors on the ground. My ask today is that we speedily support the local government taskforce and rapidly give power back to local communities who elected their local councillors and put trust in them, instead of allowing the OPR to overrule every decision councillors make. I implore that we get that moving with speed.

I wholeheartedly agree with Senator Ruane's contribution. As someone who was an early school leaver, not because of my dislike of school but because of my vehement dislike of doing homework, it is past time that we have that debate on the future of homework within our educational system.

The reason I stand here is to address a deal the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, entered into with turf cutters from right across Ireland in 2011. I particularly want to focus on the turf cutters on three bogs - Cloonmoylan, Ardgraigue and Barroughter - in my own area of south-east Galway. In 2011, the NPWS agreed to pay turf bank owners €1,500 per year in compensation, index-linked, if they ceased cutting turf on their banks until alternative turf banks were found for them.

In the vast majority of cases, these alternative turf banks have not been identified by the NPWS and the contract for compensation ends on 1 January 2026.

Therefore, in 2026, these turf bank owners will find themselves without the stream of compensation that was to allow for the purchase of fuel to replace what they would have cut on their own turf banks and without having been given alternative places to cut turf. I call on the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, to intervene in advance of spring 2026 and allow turf cutters to return to cutting turf on their original turf banks, continue the compensation package that was agreed in 2011 or ensure that alternative turf banks are put in place for these people.

I would also like to acknowledge the horror of the attacks on Bondi. Extremism, wherever it comes from, is a concern. On a positive note, the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, said he did not see any rise in antisemitism here in Ireland. That is something of which we should be aware and conscious. It is something to note when the Minister says that.

On another note, there is a complete lack of planning in Ringsend and Irishtown associated with the Glass Bottle site development. Residents will start moving into the development in early and mid-2026. There are no new infrastructural or traffic patterns. There is one road in and out of the development, the Sean Moore Road. The road is an absolute mess and is hazardous to residents during busy hours, which are now almost the entire day. At one stage, they were morning and evening but now the traffic seems to be a hazard all day long. There are no new sports facilities or recreational amenities in the area. There are no new community spaces in place. There are no new pitches or floodlighting of the parks. Significantly, there is no Luas extension in sight despite it being promised years ago.

Without proper investment, public transport to and from Ringsend will be overwhelmed by the thousands of new residents in the Glass Bottle site. The Luas extension keeps getting pushed further and further out, which is hugely disappointing to the local community. I heard one Government Deputy state recently that the Luas should be extended to Poolbeg, even though it was his party and Government that dropped the proposal in the first place. What residents in Ringsend and Irishtown need are real results from the Government, not soundbites and inaction.

I rise to address a serious issue that goes to the heart of public safety and the effective functioning of our emergency services, namely, the misuse and abuse of our emergency ambulance services. This serious matter was raised only last week by Fine Gael Councillor Angie Baily in Tralee at a meeting of Kerry County Council. She reflected the deep and growing concern at local and, given what was reported on Newstalk earlier, national level. It is an issue that demands immediate attention.

People are stepping out of accident and emergency departments ten minutes after having been brought to hospitals across the country. Ambulances exist to save lives. They are not taxis, a convenience or a substitute for routine transport or non-urgent care, yet these vital services are being misused, placing unnecessary strain on a system already under pressure. In counties such as Kerry, the consequences are very stark. When an ambulance is dispatched unnecessarily to distant parts of the county, response times increase significantly. That delay does not simply inconvenience people. It leaves entire communities exposed and waiting for emergency care that may arrive too late. In a genuine emergency, minutes matter. This is not just a health issue, as has been reported. It is also a justice issue. That is why I call on the Ministers for Health and justice to jointly engage and debate this matter.

We need decisive action in three areas. First, we must introduce clear protocols to redirect non-emergency cases to primary care, community services or telehealth, supported by strong public education.

Second, there must be sanctions for deliberate misuse, with appropriate powers for investigation and enforcement. Third, we need stronger operational safeguards for rural areas, using data, public awareness campaigns and smarter resource deployment to protect genuine emergencies. Every unnecessary ambulance call puts lives at risk and I urge the Government to act without delay. I call on the Ministers for health and justice to bring forward measures to this floor that safeguard our emergency services and the people we serve.

The vacant property grant has been a hugely successful initiative introduced by the Government. To date, over €230 million has been paid out nationally with over 15,500 applications. It has been a huge success and I think most people would agree with that because it is tackling two issues: dereliction, which is a blight on our landscape, and, in bringing down dereliction, creating a home for a person going forward. That is what we all want and we need much more of it.

I welcome today's announcement of the grant for what is called over-the-shop vacant property to bring it back into residential use. There is a maximum grant available of up to €140,000 - €95,000 for when one vacant residential unit is created, another €20,000 for a second one and a further €20,000 for a third unit or more. In addition to that, there is a grant of €5,000 available for getting expert advice as to how to go about converting the vacant commercial space to residential use. It is hugely positive.

I was happy to chair an Oireachtas committee meeting a number of months ago on the property market generally. We had a presentation from the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers, IPAV, along with a number of architects and others. They all made the case for this particular scheme and I am glad the Government has listened to them. This scheme makes perfect sense because we are all aware of many vacant units above shops in our towns and villages that have been lying idle for years. I hope this grant will now encourage those owners to convert that vacant space into residential use and create a home for some person, because all the services are there - water, sewerage and whatever - and it brings the dereliction issue to task. It is a hugely positive initiative and I look forward to many people taking it up.

Some time ago, we had a Private Members’ motion in the House on the subject of head and neck cancers. That has led to a number of discussions or conversations with people around the country about the underutilisation of theatres in hospitals. Specifically, it appears that hospital theatres are allocated to specialisms, so thoracic might have so many hours, orthopaedic might have so many hours and so on and so forth. Some of the new specialist services that have come in have been squeezed out as a result of the fact there is only limited time available in the theatres. Then it emerges, on an anecdotal basis, that an orthopaedic group might have access to an operating theatre for two days in the week but in fact can only use it for a day and a half, so a half day of theatre time is lost and patients are losing out.

I have already spoken to the Minister on this issue and I found her to be extremely concerned, but I agreed with her overall response, which is that she cannot micromanage every hospital in the country. I know the Leader may recommend I bring this up as a Commencement matter, but what we need is an audit of all theatre time in the country, how that theatre time is utilised and how many hours of theatre time are going to waste. It would certainly help the health services if we did that.

The public service in this country has never really been thanked for saving the economy. I was reviewing some notes last night from my time as president of the Teachers' Union of Ireland and I recall that teachers used to be able to buy houses. Not too many teachers can buy houses now. The financial emergency measures in the public interest, FEMPI, may have been unwound for the public service, but at the end of the day, the standard of living of public servants has gone down greatly.

We need to have a look at that in the near future.

I rise today to discuss the fox hunting Bill that will be before the Lower House tomorrow. As everyone knows, I have spoken on this in the past. I have received numerous emails from people claiming I misinformed this House when I spoke on the matter in the past. I said that, with an explosion in fox numbers, we might see a child or even an adult being attacked some day. Unfortunately, last week, a woman in County Cavan was attacked by a fox and received five stitches or staples to the back of her head. There was another incident in Sixmilebridge last week in which gardaí had to be called to an estate where kids were playing because a rogue fox attacked a child’s dog.

The Bill is coming in front of the Lower House tomorrow and I have read into it. In fact, I have had the five organisations in the audiovisual room to provide an informative session regarding all of the aspects of hunting, the hunting Bill and the welfare Act. What are the dangers to the wider community if foxes, which are predators, are not controlled? I refer to the number of foxes being allowed to go out of control in both urban and rural areas. Let us be quite clear. I am from a rural background but I have good friends living in cities and towns who accept that they do not understand the country way of life. For once, people are beginning to see that this is not a pet, but a pest.

Deputy Ruth Coppinger's comments this morning on “The Joe Finnegan Show” in which she branded farmers and hunts people as "cowboys" leave a very sad taste in rural people's mouths. I hope that, tomorrow, she apologises in the Lower House to the country people of Ireland for what she said. They are not cowboys. These people get up in the morning and put food on people's tables. I want that acknowledged tomorrow.

Well done, Senator Brady.

I class myself as a good, proud European but I can honestly say that - I will not mince my words - the fishers of this country and I felt utterly betrayed by the results of the December AGRIFISH Council last week. People will know the history of the fishing industry and I have said many times in this Chamber and at the fishing committee that successive Governments and Departments have failed this industry and have not stood strong in Europe. Last week changed that, however. Organisations, including the Irish Fishing and Seafood Alliance, and the Government stood together. Officials were there but we did not get a fair result. I am beginning to question the European process. There are people now questioning whether we should be in Europe. That is all as a result of last week's decisions because it was big business that controlled this decision. That is what angers me and so many people I represent.

The Common Fisheries Policy and the relative stability that was put in place with the Hague preferences to support our coastal nation and coastal waters are being blown out of the water. Our communities are now asking that we make a stand and examine a legal case. If the legal case cannot be taken, we should look at the common control policies that we have. A French boat was crashing against rocks in Dingle Harbour last weekend. That was difficult to see, but thanks to our emergency services, there was no loss of life. That is a French-registered boat, owned by a Spanish company, that has quoted a catch totalling almost 50% of the stocks of our monkfish quota. It lands at a pier in Dingle, puts its stock into a Spanish lorry and, rather than going back to France where it should go, it goes back to Spain without any checks. That is what is happening day in, day out and week in, week out. We need to see change in that regard. We need to see an urgent review of the Common Fisheries Policy once and for all. We need to see the Minister of State with responsibility for fisheries in here. I must admit he is doing a good job and did a good job last week. Ultimately, we got no deal, which was better than a bad deal. We need to see the Minister of State back in here. We need to see financial supports, which the industry does not want but we need to make sure that we have a future for the fishing industry. There are young fishers watching this debate and the earlier committee.

They want to know if they have a future in the industry. They are the questions we need to answer. I would advise anyone to get into the industry, but we need to have a plan going forward. We need to hold Europe to account, stand up and be strong and good Europeans.

I also welcome the Government's additional measures in relation to the living over the shop grants, on which there was some clarification today. I think it makes sense. Many of our urban and rural towns and villages are falling apart. It is a shame, in particular as many of them are of architectural significance. Of course, there are great benefits to that. I welcome the measures.

I also want to touch on the issue of rural housing. We have had the rural housing guidelines since 2005. It is now 2025, and it is unbelievable that they have never been amended. I have letters in my office from six Ministers who told me that this was in draft form, sitting on their desk, waiting to be tidied up, with a few i’s to be dotted and t’s crossed. We are still here, all of these years on, and we have no guidelines.

I hear Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil TDs, Senators and councillors all around the country, particularly at rural and farming gatherings, talking about the shame of this because they represent communities where people cannot get housing. Yet, somehow, all of this is stalled in that process. One has to ask what is going on on a Wednesday evening at the parliamentary parties. Are people listening to their membership? I am not a member of any of them.

I have asked the Leader on numerous occasions for a specific meeting on housing, but especially on the ability of people to plan for proper, sustainable housing. I am not talking about housing everywhere. However, there are communities in this country that are dying on their feet. One need only talk to the GAA, parish schools or parishes and communities. They are falling asunder for the lack of people. We have a serious issue if we want to protect the viability of our rural communities. I ask the Leader to organise a meeting in the new year where we could look at this again. Let us pull out all the letters, stop the promises and produce sustainable rural housing guidelines that are fit for purpose to meet the needs and demands of the people in rural communities today.

I share Senator O'Donovan's disappointment and anger at the proposals at EU level to reduce fishing quotas for the Irish fishing industry. In particular, we see a disparity in the distribution of quotas, which I have raised on the floor of this House many times, where 1% of the quota is shared among 1,500 vessels, while 99% is shared among 50 vessels. This is being played out right across Europe, where we see that the bigger, more industrial fishery operations are benefiting more from the distribution of quotas as opposed to the small family-owned vessels right across the shore. We need to fight for better equality in the distribution of quota. We need to push back and make sure that, as an island nation, we have fair and accessible rights to any stocks.

If there are proposals around compensation, we need to ensure this is done in a manner that is fair, considering the fact that 65% of the jobs are in the inshore sector. The inshore sector also has 90% of the national fishing register. I acknowledge the National Inshore Fisheries Forum, which has raised this with me.

I would also like to highlight the safe routes to school funding that is due to be announced this week. In particular, there is a situation in Mayo at Kilmurry National School that could and should benefit from safe routes to school funding, with serious engagement from the local authority. There is a dangerous junction and bend outside the school, with no on-site parking. Staff and parents are forced to use the school playground to park. This is an example where safe routes to school funding can come into play to make it a safe and welcoming environment for students and teachers. I suggest that the safe routes to school model be rolled out as much as possible to support schools like Kilmurry National School, where there is a dangerous junction and a lack of playing facilities for children due to the lack of infrastructure. I acknowledge Noreen Lennon, the principal, and Michael Herr, the chair of the board of management, who have raised this with me. I look forward to visiting them and supporting them on this issue.

I will speak briefly about the passing of the father of the Minister of State, Deputy Troy. I know it is a private time for his family. I was speaking to him earlier today and it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge it today. May the light of heaven shine on him.

I wish to speak on something that has been in practice in England for quite a while and has not happened here. This came up in a conversation with Councillor Paul Hogan in the last number of days. It is to be able to request a baby loss certificate. It has previously been talked about in this State but it has never happened. It is where people who lose a child during pregnancy up to 24 weeks can request a certificate in memory of their loss. A lot of families find it comforting to have an acknowledgement and some recognition of the unfortunate circumstances that have befallen them. Councillor Hogan mentioned that he knew some people in England who had got such certificates over the years and the comfort given to them through the general process of having a recognition from the state of their misfortune and the journey they had taken until that dark day. According to Councillor Hogan, it has certainly been of comfort to some people to receive such a certificate of acknowledgement. Maybe the Minister will come to the House and talk to us about it.

Last week, I spoke about the drug-related intimidation and violence engagement, DRIVE, initiative. In the few days since then, I have been contacted by a number of families. Even on the way in this morning, I was contacted by a family whose son has got into addiction, which has brought chaos on the family. They have already paid out €60,000 to criminals who are putting them under pressure. I spoke about the DRIVE programme, which I know it must be appropriate, cost-effective and realistic but it definitely needs better funding. Families are suffering in Ireland. DRIVE was designed to intervene early to support families and break the cycle of intimidation that we are seeing. Despite the anecdotal evidence I am seeing and the information available, a lot of lip service is being paid to this issue. I know the Garda is gathering intelligence and doing its best, but there are not enough prosecutions. Many gardaí on the front line of this issue feel they are only paying lip service to the families. That needs to stop.

We need to get to those who are making threats. We need to get them before the courts. Families deserve to see justice, not just reports and meetings. Two years have passed since I launched the DRIVE initiative in my area, yet we are not seeing the prosecutions. The intimidation the families face is criminal and coercive, and it needs to be treated as such. The Government needs to commit more resourcing to DRIVE nationally. Communities and families cannot wait. We need an urgent debate with the Minister for justice on this matter. We must send a strong message from the Oireachtas that drug debt intimidation will not be tolerated and it will be challenged.

As it is 3 o'clock and we are supposed to take the Finance Bill now, I have to call the Leader to respond on the Order of Business. I apologise to the Senators who have just arrived. We normally give 50 minutes for the Order of Business.

I thank all the Senators for their contributions. Senators O'Loughlin, Comyn, Keogan and Andrews raised the horrific massacre in Bondi Beach. We offer our sympathies to the families of those who lost their lives. I commend those who tackled the perpetrators. The issue of antisemitism was raised by Senators Keogan and Andrews. The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, stated that there has been no rise of antisemitism.

Senator Keogan also raised concerns about the renaming of Herzog Park. This has been suspended and we await the outcome but, as I have said here before, we cannot rewrite history in this country.

Senator O'Loughlin also raised the increase in VAT on immune tonics, which are being treated as luxury goods. I ask that she submit the matter for debate with the Minister for Finance as a Commencement matter, or perhaps raise it while the House deals with the Finance Bill, which we will be taking very soon.

Senator Nelson Murray raised the matter of the insurance report and the discrepancies between Injuries Resolution Board fees and litigation costs. The point is valid and the Senator has made a number of suggestions, including having a massive media campaign, asking the insurance companies why their profits are up and setting a cap on legal fees. I will request a debate on insurance.

Senator Collins raised her visit to Limerick Prison and made a number of valid points regarding the Prison Service and early intervention. I will request a debate with the relevant Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, on prisons and early intervention.

Senators Joe Conway, O'Donovan and Duffy raised the sea fisheries debate and the negotiations that took place at the weekend, in particular the blocking of the Hague preferences. They have called into question the Common Fisheries Policy, saying it has failed and that a debate is needed on the matter. Senator O'Donovan said he feels betrayed over what happened and that there is perhaps a need for a legal case and an urgent review. I will request a debate. The relevant Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, was before the fisheries committee this morning and I am aware that he has put a lot of work into this. A couple of weeks ago, we agreed in this House, with some amendments, to a Private Members' proposal on the Common Fisheries Policy, and on to trying to strengthen the Minister's hand in the associated negotiations.

Senator Ruane, supported by Senator Murphy, raised the question of homework. In this regard, I welcome and acknowledge the attendance in the Gallery of Brion. Senator Ruane raised very valid points on Brion's behalf in relation to homework. Different people have different strengths. Some may have no issue with homework and some obviously have issues with its role and the time spent on it rather than doing other things. Some are stimulated by different approaches and do better if they opt for these. Some may be more academic and others may be more practical. The Senator has raised very valid points on which I will engage with the Minister. I suggest that Senator Ruane request a Commencement debate with the Minister for education to have a fuller debate on this matter.

Senator Harmon raised the student accommodation strategy and student rents. She also raised assessments of need, having regard to the Department of education. We are told the Department is removing the requirement for a diagnosis to enrol in a special class or special school. It is working to ensure that addressing applications due by October 2026 for the 2027 school year will reduce pressure on the assessment-of-need system. I ask the Senator to request a specific debate with the Minister for further and higher education on the student accommodation strategy and increasing student rents. The Minister will be in the House tomorrow and may be happy to answer questions on these topics if the Senator gets a chance to ask them.

Senator Comyn raised the importance of community volunteer groups in Drogheda and acknowledges the importance of charitable giving at this time of year.

Senator Scahill raised financial services and used the example of the credit union in Elphin, which is still maintaining services online and through ATMs and drop-in services. It is important that county and rural towns have access to services, particularly for the elderly. The Senator gave a case in point.

Senator Scahill also raised the issues of vacant commercial properties and the statutory instrument being debated in the Dáil today, and indeed in this House as item No. 3.

Senator Crowe raised the Office of the Planning Regulator, which came into being owing to the fallout from what I believe was the Mahon tribunal. A new advisory board is being set up on the workings of the Office of the Planning Regulator. I hope that will provide greater oversight of the office's role.

I hope that will provide for greater oversight in relation to that office's role.

Senator P. J. Murphy raised the ongoing issues in Clonmoylan, Ardgraigue and Barroughter bogs and spoke of the need for engagement with the Minister. He might put down a Commencement matter or engage directly because the time is tight on this. I have no doubt that if a contract is ending and there are no alternatives provided, the Minister and Department will have to ensure there is either an extension of the contract or some other recompense. I ask him to put down a Commencement matter on that issue.

Senator Andrews raised the glass bottle site, the Luas extension and the lack of new infrastructure. I am not awfully familiar with that part of Dublin but the Senator could put down a Commencement debate on the issue with the Minister to get a direct response.

Senator Kennelly raised a worrying issue regarding the misuse of ambulance services. He mentioned this was brought to his attention by Councillor Angie Baily. He demanded a number of things, including clearer protocols about non-emergency calls, sanctions for misuse and operational safeguards. Those are all common sense suggestions on that important issue. The Senator might ask his colleagues on the health committee to raise the whole issue of the National Ambulance Service. That might be an opportunity to bring this issue directly to the ambulance service.

Senator Gallagher and Senator Boyhan raised the vacant property grant and the recent acknowledgement of additional grants. The grant for vacant properties has been hugely successful in bringing houses back into use and tackling dereliction.

Senator Craughwell raised the issue of head and neck cancer again and called for an audit on theatre time. I ask that he raise that directly with the Minister or put down a Commencement debate. Theatres have a certain throughput and they also have to have time for cleaning and disinfection. In relation to the exact management of theatre space, I would have to submit to the specialists on that.

Senator Brady raised the fox hunting Bill in the Dáil tomorrow and a number of concerns people have. He also referred to dogs being attacked by foxes recently. I acknowledge his bringing together of a number of organisations in the audiovisual room last week on this matter. The Senator also called for Deputy Coppinger to apologise for comments she made on radio during the week when she called many farmers cowboys. He will have to take that up directly with the Deputy or the other House.

Senator Boyhan raised rural housing again. I will request a debate with the Minister for housing. I know rural housing is hugely important. There may be reasons the guidelines have not progressed from a draft form since 2005. Without the input of politicians and if this was let to many Department officials, there would be no rural housing or very limited rural housing. It is politicians who are to the fore in ensuring, through councillors' work on local development plans and through our work here in the Oireachtas, that rural planning is still allowed. It is a valid issue and I will request a debate on the matter.

Senator Duffy raised safe routes to school funding, particularly for Kilmurry National School. I know there will be announcements on that this week. I hope for positive news in that regard.

Senator Davitt, speaking on behalf of Councillor Paul Hogan, raised baby loss certificates for babies lost up to 24 weeks. I can only imagine the very difficult situations that arise for mothers, fathers, partners and wider families. The Senator called for these certificates to made available. I ask him to put down a Commencement matter because it is a very important issue, which would get a direct response from the Minister.

Senator McCarthy raised the DRIVE initiative and stated that not enough prosecutions are taking place. I am not sure whether the law needs to be amended, improved or made clearer about this. If the Senator puts down a Commencement debate for the Minister for justice, he may get a more direct and better response on that very important issue.