The Order of Business is No. 2, motion regarding the Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No. 2) Regulations 2025, back from committee, to be taken on the conclusion of the Order of Business without debate; No. 3, National Training Fund (Amendment) Bill 2025 – Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 2.30 p.m. and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 4 p.m. by the putting of one question from the Chair, which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Government; No. 4, Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024 - Committee Stage (resumed), to be taken at 4 p.m. and to adjourn at 6.30 p.m. if not previously concluded; and No. 5, Private Members' business, National Minimum Wage (Inclusion of Young Persons, Apprentices and Interns) Bill 2025 – Second Stage, to be taken at 6.30 p.m., with the time allocated to this debate not to exceed two hours.

Before I call on the next speaker I welcome pupils from Clonegal National School in County Carlow who are guests of Deputy Catherine Callaghan. They are most welcome to Seanad Éireann and they will have no homework for the rest of the year. I think that is the new ruling.

This morning I want to raise the issue of safeguarding. We saw a very positive development last week from the Department of Health and led out by all of the Ministers involved in safeguarding. It was the publication of a policy framework for adult safeguarding. For far too long we have been looking for a framework when it comes to adult safeguarding. The real reason I am standing here is, first and foremost, I would love for us to have statements on adult safeguarding when we come back in the new year. There are really good commitments made within the framework that within six months a lot of the implementation work will have begun. I would love the Minister to come before us here to outline and make us all aware of the changes we can expect when it comes to adult safeguarding. Adult safeguarding is an issue that I raised for a long number of years, along with an awful lot of other people, with the Minister of State, Deputy Butler. It protects people in vulnerable situations. It protects people who are in nursing homes and those who are in residential care. We have a really good element of safeguarding already in Children First but adult safeguarding involves measures to protect not just the individual, but also the staff. It sets out a very principled framework as to what the triggers are and how one goes about doing one's job to protect individuals who are vulnerable or at risk. For far too long, we have had a legacy, involving far too many adults and children, of not having the policy framework documents to protect the staff who protect them. We have seen it addressed in Children First and we are now seeing the first step now in adult safeguarding. I take this issue very seriously. I would actually go one step further and say we should have an adult safeguarding office, independent of the HSE and the Department, in order that we would have full oversight to completely protect the vulnerable adults in our community.

Hear, hear.

I have no doubt the Leader will ensure the relevant Minister will come to the House for statements on this issue. I have spoken in the past about the Brandon case in Donegal. We had the Grace case in Waterford. We have many cases and we have to put these learnings into action. There is no point in having reports if we do not have proper frameworks. This is a really positive step but we now need to understand what is the meat that will go on the bone to ensure there is proper protection and a proper rulebook for how people can flag issues if they identify where a person is at risk.

Well said.

First, I welcome the students to the Chamber. It is great to see young people actively working and engaging in our processes of parliamentary democracy.

As this will be my last contribution on the Order of Business this side of 2026 because I will only be here for a short time tomorrow, I will take this opportunity to thank a few people. I thank my colleagues across both Houses. We come from a different perspective in the Opposition. It is more difficult, of course, and we have to scrutinise the legislation. The Government side has the legislation and effectively their hands are tied. There is very little movement in terms of amendments. They do have amendments but not the same number of them because they are collectively Members on the Government side. That should not come as a surprise to any Member on the Government side of the Seanad. It has been a huge learning curve for many of us. Some people are new here. It has been a particularly exciting year. Many of us have been elected and some have been appointed by the Taoiseach and it is always a great privilege, whatever strand one comes into the Seanad from.

I thank Mr. Martin Hughes, our now Clerk of the Seanad. He has excelled in his position. He has a lot of experience in this House anyway. I also thank Ms Aileen Fallon, our Clerk Assistant, and all the staff of the Seanad Office. I thank Ms Orla Murray, who is instrumentally involved in the Leader's office, and I thank the Leader for the way we have operated these Houses. It is not always easy but we are always mindful that we have to be respectful of one another and our positions. While we might have robust engagement, we leave here at the end of the day to move on to the next task. That is the task of politics. We have to be pragmatic, we have to push on and we have to be able to do business with other people at different times. At our level of engagement it is always important we have a good, healthy and robust debate but we also have a relationship that allows us to progress legislation and move on with other people. I thank the Cathaoirleach, particularly for his initiative that we will have today - the beginning of the Seanad Select Committee on EU Scrutiny and Transparency. That is a very important measure the Cathaoirleach has introduced and I look forward to engaging with the committee later.

Over the past few weeks I have taken the time to look at all the Commencement matters from the past 12 months and many of the contributions under the Order of Business.

There are really three recurring themes, which are health, housing and mental health. It might be no harm at some stage to look at that because people come in time and again, particularly from the Government side, with concerns about leaking roofs, lack of classroom places, school transport and many such things. They have constituents, too, or they have other interests.

If we are going to use our time wisely, we need to look at that and see how we can address it. We have Government Senators talking to Government Ministers about such issues and there does not seem to be any resolution. I will leave it at that. We have to work more constructively to tackle issues and put a timeframe in place.

I wish everyone a good and happy Christmas and new year.

Today, I would like to discuss the difficulty that smaller firms have in being able to put themselves forward in the tendering process particularly for Government projects. I am going to use a recent example of a tender for a €60,000 contract. Some of the criteria are as follows. First, confirmation of tax compliance, which is fair enough. We all should be tax compliant. Second, confirmation that the tendering party's turnover exceeded over €200,000 for the last three years. That would probably cut a lot of us out of being able to do anything. Third, confirmation that the following insurances are in place: employer's liability of €13 million and public liability €6.5 million. Plenty of small businesses could not afford that type of insurance and definitely did not have a turnover of €200,000. They are probably dying to grow their business by being able to get one of these tenders.

Here are some comments on a recent post I saw online from businesses regarding this type of criteria. One wrote:

We had this exact problem during the summer. Put the effort to win a particularly good and large tender and then were forced to accept terms and conditions that were written for a very large business and not a small growing [company] ...

Another business wrote:

The EL and PL insurance requirements eliminate SMEs and micro-enterprises. Those values are boilerplate requirements and, I suspect, are copied and pasted from tender to tender without question ...

Another business wrote:

Been there, done the tenders, and effectively given up. Public procurement in Ireland - and same in the UK.

Another business wrote:

Same experience here in the past. Expected turnovers of 250k for example. Expected level of insurance too high. We wouldn’t be looking for new tenders if [we were turning over more than] 250k ...

You have to think to that the expertise in smaller, growing firms can sometimes be better than the bigger ones. Larger firms have extra costs in managers, project managers and advisers whereas small firms do not and they can be very competitive. SMEs are having to collaborate together to apply for a tender. How is that fair? This is only the tip of the iceberg based on the small amount of research I have done. I imagine that, if I delved deeper into this, I would find a massive can of worms ready to explode for small businesses. I would welcome a debate on procurement processes for SMEs and how we can how we can encourage acceptance of smaller businesses into tenders.

I want to raise the issue of domestic violence. Last week saw the end of the 16 days of activism around the issue. While that is important in order to raise awareness, we need to be aware of it 365 days of the year. It is an issue that occurs more frequently around Christmastime when a lot more drink is consumed.

While prevention needs to be concentrated on, we also need refuges for women who have to escape for their safety. County Cavan is one of nine counties that still do not have a refuge. In fact, several of the counties surrounding Cavan do not have refuges, namely, Monaghan, Leitrim, Longford and then further out to Sligo and Roscommon. There is a glut of counties without a refuge space for domestic violence victims. I had a meeting with a Garda superintendent recently who said one of the biggest issues the Garda had when addressing an issue like this was that gardaí had nowhere to bring a woman and children to if they have to take them out of the house for their own safety. It is often in the middle of the night. They are depending on local hotels or bed and breakfasts to facilitate them. For an already traumatised family, trying to negotiate rooms in the foyer of a hotel is not appropriate.

I am speaking to both the councils in counties Cavan and Monaghan. In Monaghan, a site has been identified and a purpose-built refuge will be built. It is a few years away, but the funding has been allocated to it. In both counties, safe houses have been identified, hopefully for next year on. While people in Cavan County Council, working with Safe Ireland, are looking to identify a site in Cavan, the funding has not actually been allocated yet. I want to ensure that funding is allocated so that, when a suitable site is found, the funding is available to proceed as quickly as possible. The numbers are high, according to the statistics. While we hear more on the news about fatalities, unfortunately, it is an ongoing issue for many people. Many women are forced to stay in relationships because they have nowhere to go. The refuge would offer them that space to get out of there and try to negotiate the next part of their lives, which takes some time to do.

It is a huge issue in the North. It is something we should be co-operating on across the Border because perpetrators of domestic violence do not recognise the Border. Supports to help families experiencing this should not recognise the Border either. It is something we should work in collaboration with the North on. If somebody requires a refuge space, it should not matter which county they are in. They should be able to access one where it is available regardless of whether it is North or South.

Hear, hear.

Last week saw the publication of the periodic Article 17 report on the status of habitats and species in Ireland. It is done in six-year cycles of reporting. Since the 2019 report, unfortunately, things have deteriorated quite dramatically in terms of our habitats. There is some better news for many species but what is critical from the Government's perspective is that the funding that was been put into the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, over the last five-year cycle needs to continue. There are significant challenges throughout the country, let alone the fact that Ireland will have to embark on a national nature restoration plan and the demands that entails. Separately, €650 million of the climate and nature fund was allocated to nature restoration, but it has gone into metro north. That is most unfortunate. It was something we fought hard for in the previous Government and to allay the fears of farmers and farm organisations in being involved in this great nature restoration project. I am not calling for a debate on this but it needs to be prioritised by the Government. The report sees a deterioration of habitats right across coastal and peatland areas and the grassland deterioration of many important habitats throughout Ireland. Unfortunately, unless we put that investment in, we are going to see further deterioration in the next reporting cycle.

Ireland assumes the Presidency of the European Union in the second half of next year. It would be wonderful if we could start telling the good news stories because there are many. Many organisations, community groups, farmers, fishers and foresters are out working on the ground, trying to get involved in this great big nature restoration project. However, if there is not funding there to support them to do it, how can they be involved?

I urge the Government to support what is a really important task for the nation. This report certainly makes for sobering reading. However, it is hardly surprising, given where the State has come from over the previous 30 to 40 years. It is critical that this investment cycle continue and that the funding be found to support the nature restoration project.

Since I came to the Seanad in February, I have brought up the need for apprenticeships almost monthly. I was delighted to read that the Minister of State with responsibility for apprenticeships, Deputy Harkin, raised a point recently in the Dáil to say that an increase in the number of construction workers was the only way Ireland would meet its optimistic housing targets and an increase in apprenticeships was essential for achieving and developing our renewable energy. I have constantly called the Minister, Deputy James Lawless, to attend for a discussion, but I now believe the time is right to call the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin, as soon as possible in the new year to come in and address this House about apprenticeships and meeting our housing and renewable energy targets. There are glaring gaps throughout the country where opportunities exist.

Apprenticeships can be delivered in greater numbers and where they are needed. They must be delivered in regions where they will not add to student accommodation problems. There is an opportunity to develop a lot more apprenticeship centres in the regions. The budget for apprenticeships increased by €79 million this year and the overall budget now stands at around €410 million. Funding is not the issue. Capacity is the issue. I ask for a debate as early in the new year as possible on the delivery of regional apprenticeship centres to meet national demand for apprenticeships.

Now we are joined by staff and pupils from St. Brigid's National School in Clonegal, County Carlow. I was wondering why our other visitors looked so bemused. Our visitors are wearing the Carlow colours and are very welcome. They are guests of Deputy Catherine Callaghan. If they bump into the visitors from the other school, please apologise to them for the mix-up. The pupils from St. Brigid's are most welcome. I love the Carlow colours in their school uniform. As we said to the other school, there will be no homework for the rest of the year.

I raise a very serious matter of urgent concern regarding Scoil Réalta na Maidine in Listowel. Some of the pupils are here with me today This school is at the heart of our community and central to it is the Brian McMahon Hall, a facility that hosts PE classes, dramas and plays and countless activities but is now in a state of serious disrepair. Built in the 1960s, the hall's roof is failing. There is no internal membrane, no felt beneath the slates and mould and dampness have spread throughout the roof and into adjoining rooms. The flooring and woodwork in the hall have been badly damaged by woodworm, further weakening the structure. This is not just a cosmetic issue but a significant health and safety hazard.

Despite repeated applications for support, the school's requests have been denied. Two years ago, emergency works funding was refused and this year, a request for climate action summer works funding was also turned down. I am calling on the Minister to act urgently. The hall cannot continue to be used safely in its current condition. If immediate repairs are not authorised, the school may be forced to close the Brian McMahon Hall in the new year, depriving students and the wider community of an essential space for learning, creativity and community engagement. I urge the Minister to prioritise Scoil Réalta na Maidine in Listowel and to allocate the necessary emergency funding to ensure that essential repairs, including addressing the woodworm and structural decay, proceed without delay. This is a really serious matter for the parents and students of Listowel who are attending this boys' national school. The hall was built in the 1960s and is in a serious state of disrepair. The school has been unsuccessful in two funding applications. A third application will come too late because the hall will be closed. I ask the Leader to see if emergency funding can be sourced through the Minister and to invite the Minister to the House to discuss this serious matter.

First, I endorse what Senator Rabbitte had to say and commend her on it. Only this morning, I was talking to a dear friend whose parent with dementia has had to go into hospital because of a fall. This person is upset at having a pad put on during the night, not because the person is not capable of indicating a desire to go to the toilet but because that is seen as the easier way to manage a patient in the hospital. That is just one example of a very complex issue. It is an example of low standards in a high-spending economy. We still have a long way to go but I commend Senator Rabbitte on what she said earlier and I support her fully.

I am very pleased about Australia's move to ban social media access for those under 16. We need to follow carefully what goes on in that country. I know that the Minister for communications, Deputy O'Donovan, has said that he will hold that particular option in reserve but the jury is no longer out on the impact of social media on young children. It is harming their concentration, self-esteem and mental health. The risks posed by online bullying, pornography, predatory advertising and other types of predation are numerous. We must be capable of holding two ideas in our minds at the same time. We must tackle young people's access to social media and to certain free and log-in based services. The creation of multiple online identities for use by domestic and foreign activists in anonymity is a problem. Complete anonymity online is not possible because people must be traceable in order to be accountable legally, criminally or civilly, for what they say or do.

All of that is clear but when the Minister says that the solution to this, taking people's real concern about child protection in particular into account, is a proposed trialling of a digital wallet system, we must ask if that is the only way. There are worries about excessive State surveillance in people's lives. There are also worries about hacking and the State's inability to manage data. While we absolutely must tackle those problems and ensure we have solutions, I would like to hear from the Minister whether the digital wallet system is the only way of dealing with this problem. I would not like to think that because people's concern is so strong about child protection, this would now be waved in our faces and expected to be pushed through easily. It needs to be debated and I ask that the Minister come to this House in the new year to discuss this proposal, to see if it is the best way, if there are problems with it and whether such problems can be surmounted.

Yesterday, Senator Davitt made a contribution in which he called for a debate on pregnancy loss. I commend him on that and echo his call for a proper debate on this issue. Commencement matters will no longer do. We are now the only country among our near neighbours in Northern Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland that does not offer a pregnancy loss certificate under 24 weeks, or 23 weeks here in Ireland. This is quite shameful because what we have here is partition between the North and the South. In the North, people are told that their loss matters under 24 weeks and are given formal acknowledgement but in the Republic of Ireland, loss under 23 weeks is not acknowledged. A woman could be 22 weeks and six days pregnant, sitting in hospital having lost that pregnancy but she will get nothing, which is really heartbreaking. I commend the cross-party group that was formed and I have invited Senator Davitt to join following his contribution. The cross-party work that we have done since convening in July, which is not so long ago, is amazing. We will continue as a group to try to put this on the agenda. This is not party political business, but is everyone's business. For us to get it over the line, we have to collaborate and co-operate on it. I would welcome other Senators who wish to join the group. Our door is always open. I urge them to join because their contributions are valuable to the cause.

I also commend Cork City Council, particularly Councillor Shane O'Callaghan from Fine Gael and Councillor Peter Horgan from the Labour Party, who have brought this issue to the council's attention. The council will be examining its early pregnancy loss policy and championing this. I urge other councils to stand up and I have no doubt that we will all be lobbied on this. This has to change. We can no longer lag behind and use excuses. We need to bring this provision in. Families, women, guardians and parents need that acknowledgement because it gives them so much more than anything else we can offer. I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on this issue.

Hear, hear.

I wish to highlight a deeply troubling trend in the removal of newborns by Tusla. Recently, it has been reported in the media that a newborn who was taken just 14 days after birth is now failing to thrive. The child has lost weight, is vomiting after every feed and is on reflux medication. All of this is occurring post-removal and the switch from breastfeeding to formula in State care. This infant's suffering underlines a failure of proportionality in State intervention. The damage inflicted in these early days, including malnutrition, developmental setbacks and emotional trauma, can leave life-long scars. We do not know how many newborns face this fate each year. Tusla's published performance data contains no separate metric for newborn removals and there is no public accountability around whether breastfeeding options are prioritised.

Given the potential for irreversible harms, I call on the Minister to appear before the House without delay. We urgently need clarity on how often Tusla removed newborns. What safeguards exist to protect their nutritional and developmental needs? What oversight mechanisms hold Tusla's leadership, under CEO, Ms Kate Duggan, accountable for these decisions? If we are serious about protecting the most vulnerable, our youngest citizens, we must interrogate this practice openly and thoroughly. Therefore, I call on the Minister to attend this Chamber at the earliest opportunity to address these critical questions. We should have learned from the mother and baby home scandals. We do not want this coming down the road again in our futures. No newborn should ever be whipped away from their birth mother like that - ever. Tusla must put in the supports to look after that birth mother and child in the earliest days.

I wish everybody in the Chamber a very happy Christmas and I will be thinking especially of Senators Costello and Clifford-Lee, who will be without their parent this year for the first Christmas. I wish you all a very happy Christmas.

I, too, would like to start by wishing everybody a happy Christmas, including the Cathaoirleach. I thank him for his collegiality as we worked together over the past 12 months. I thank Mr. Martin Hughes and the staff in the Seanad Office but also the Leader's Office, our Leader, Senator Seán Kyne, and to Orla, who also buried her mother during the year. I extend my sympathies to her as well.

I thank the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, for working with a cross-party group in the mid-west in regard to delivery at University Hospital Limerick, UHL. I acknowledge the fact that, in UHL, things have improved in the past 12 months. Ms Sandra Broderick, Mr. Ian Carter and the team have started to turn things around. Still, as highlighted in the HIQA report, we are short those extra beds. I welcome the fact that options A, B and C are happening together. A and B have already started. It has gone out to tender, the foundations have been put in and it will be a further 96-bed block. The Minister has instructed the HSE to find a site quite near UHL, to look at plans for that site, how it can be best developed with possibly the maternity moving over there, but also building so many beds to move the less acute patients there and to use the vacated beds for acute patients in the current hospital. It is good news because we have waited a long time. We have had many plans and conversations down through the years. When I was first elected to the House in 2016, I highlighted the issues at UHL, the facts around the conditions staff had to work under and the number of people who have died there. It has been really sad for their families and for the greater community.

This is a good news story and I hope the plans will move forward as quickly as possible.

After the recent EU meeting on fisheries, it feels like the efforts put in by fishing communities, the fishing industry, me and colleagues on the fisheries committee were completely pointless. We are gutted with the results. Belgium's coastline is barely longer than Wicklow's and yet it gets 16 times more quota than Irish fishermen. Our waters are rich in resources but our fishermen cannot fish these resources. They must sit with their boats tied up and watch while other countries like Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands pillage and plunder our natural resources. Consecutive governments have sold out our sugar beet farmers, turfcutters and fishermen. They have sat back and watched our country being robbed. Countries like Norway make €15 billion a year on seafood exports but our fishermen now have to rely on subsidies. Where is the fairness for Ireland or our coastal communities in this? Make no mistake about it: it is going to be the exact same for our beef farmers if the Mercosur deal is pushed through.

Fishermen were guaranteed the Hague preferences as their safeguard. They were deceived, much like the beef farmers are being deceived by the proposed safeguards for them. I know, and Irish farmers know, that if Mercosur is passed, any safeguards will be in name only. As long as the bigger EU states are thriving and using Ireland as a stepping stone to get ahead, there will not be a second thought paid to our industries. It is estimated that our fishing sector will lose €200 million next year and the estimated loss for beef farmers would be around €135 million if Mercosur is passed. You might as well close the gates on Killybegs and Castletownbere after the decision in Europe.

The question must be asked. We have been a net contributor to Europe since 2013. What is in it for us? The EU speaks of solidarity but there has been no solidarity for Irish fishermen. They have been totally abandoned and have no option but to make a stand and make it clear to Europe that the Irish people are not pushovers. We must bring this to court.

I wish to again raise in this House a grave issue of national security. There are three types of drone. The first type is a consumer drone. These are small, hand-held and often used by domestic enthusiasts - people who want to use them for leisure purposes. Those small consumer drones caused Dublin Airport to be closed up to eight times in 2023. According to an aviation expert last week, if one of those small consumer drones strikes an aircraft when it is coming into land, it would cause serious structural damage to the aircraft.

The next type of drone is a commercial drone, which is slightly larger. Then we have industrial-sized drones. These are the type which it is believed or alleged were operating in the flight path of Dublin Airport after President Zelenskyy's plane landed on 1 December. I am glad that his plane landed safely. However, the authorities believed that these military-grade drones represented a threat to his aircraft and that they remained in the area for up to two hours. Therefore, they were a clear and present danger and threat to all other aircraft coming in to land at Dublin Airport. It is reported that they were operating and manoeuvring up to 20 km from the airport. At that range from the airport, aircraft are descending to heights of around 3,000 or 4,000 ft, well within the operating range of military-grade drones which were considered hostile.

Why has the Government been completely silent about the reckless endangerment of the Irish travelling public and aviation safety by these drones? No warning was issued to the aviation authorities. No alert was issued to pilots, endangering thousands of Irish air passengers travelling on Aer Lingus, Ryanair or British Airways aeroplanes, etc. This is a security scandal of unprecedented proportions. If these drones were, allegedly, verified, then this is an unprecedented security scandal. If they were not or cannot be verified, then this has brought Ireland into international disrepute and ridicule.

I wish to raise the matter of St. John Ambulance Ireland. The Minister's written reply to survivors and my colleagues in both Houses on the implementation of Dr. Geoffrey Shannon's report is procedurally detailed but lacking in any real conviction. Throughout, we are repeatedly told that St. John Ambulance Ireland is an independent organisation outside the Department's aegis and that the State has no governance role. Survivors do not experience abuse in organisational silos. They do not distinguish between a State body, a charity or a voluntary organisation when the abuse occurs in spaces where children were meant to be safe. It is also important to acknowledge that this issue did not come to light by chance. It came to light because of the persistence and courage of survivors who worked tirelessly to expose these failures and ensure that survivors' voices could not be ignored. Let us be clear: independence does not mean absence of responsibility. It cannot be allowed to become a shield behind which the State retreats when safeguarding failures come to light.

One of the central recommendations of Dr. Shannon's report was that the national safeguarding officer be independent, specifically to counter what he described as cultural deference within St. John Ambulance Ireland. Yet, departmental funding for that role has now ended and the same officer is being retained directly by the organisation itself.

Survivors are entitled to ask how genuine independence is being protected in these circumstances. I am also concerned that the Minister's reply details extensive engagements with boards, audits and governance structures but says nothing about engagement with survivors themselves. Who has spoken to survivors? Who has updated them? Who has listened to their concerns? Survivors are not footnotes; they are central stakeholders. I ask for the Minister to come to the House, debate this issue and commit to a formal survivor-centred engagement and accountability framework where serious safeguarding failures occur in independent or charitable organisations involving children.

I welcome the guest of Senator McCarthy, Gillian McCutcheon from Tiglin. She is most welcome.

Does the Leader recall the episode of "Yes Minister" when the hospital was opened? Sir Humphrey was explaining to the minister that bringing the patients into the hospital would destroy the organisation and that it was running perfectly without patients. Somebody somewhere within our Government is taking tutorials from the programmes "Yes Minister" and "Yes, Prime Minister".

Yesterday, we had the delivery of the Government jet, which is welcome as it was something that was needed. However, while it was sold to us that we bought it for €54 million, the actual price was €54 million plus VAT plus any tariffs. Then, of course, it is not coming with the specification that was ordered and when it returns for its first major service, the other parts of the specification will be introduced. I understand the plane will have cost about €100 million by the time it is fully kitted out.

We are about to spend €500 million on primary radar. My colleague Senator Clonan and I agree we need primary radar in order to see things like drones in the sky, but do we need it now? The Air Corps is unable to manage Baldonnel. We had to bring in civilians last week to take on that work. If we buy this primary radar, who is going to use it? Who will be able to interpret what they see? Where will the training take place? If they see something up in the sky that should not be there, what will we do? Will we send a strongly worded letter on headed paper saying, "Please come down"?

Hear, hear.

Let us get real about where we are going with defence. Would somebody stop the madness? Let us sit down and see where the low fruit is and where we can do things that will immediately impact defence in this country. Of course, we should not really worry about it because the French, Belgians and Portuguese will come in and guard us during the European Presidency. Let us get real about where we are going in defence. I request we get the Minister in here at the earliest possible stage in January.

Hear, hear. Well said.

Today, my thoughts are with the family of the late Columba McVeigh as they will spend yet another Christmas without locating the remains of their beloved Columba. I was saddened yesterday to learn the search that had been taking place on the top of Bragan Mountain in County Monaghan had been stood down, unfortunately without a positive result.

Columba McVeigh was 19 years of age when he was abducted, murdered and secretly buried by the IRA. Over 50 years have gone by now and the family still longs to find the remains of their beloved Columba. Columba's mother went to her grave carrying the pain of not being able to find her son's remains and her family have made a commitment to her that they will continue that search. This is the seventh time since 1999 that the McVeigh family have made that long, torturous journey to the top of Bragan Mountain in the hope that the remains of their beloved Columba will be found. Unfortunately, that seventh search has come to an end.

I commend the people and the commission involved in that search on their work. I have met them on the top of the mountain on a number of occasions. The work they did in forensically digging across 26 acres of bogland on the top of Bragan Mountain is hugely impressive. Unfortunately, that work has come with no positive results for the McVeigh family to date. I appeal this morning to anyone who has any piece of information, however insignificant they may feel it is, to please come forward and make contact with the commission, in the knowledge that any information given is privileged, cannot be passed on to any other agency and cannot be used in any court case. The McVeigh family, as well as the families of all the disappeared, deserve the dignity of being able to locate their loved ones and give them the Christian burial they all deserve. My heart goes out to them all as they face another Christmas Day, the 50th that the McVeigh family will spend without finding the remains of their beloved Columba.

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business, "That No. 10 be taken before No. 2". This relates to a Bill I am seeking to introduce today on leave for injuries for teachers and special needs assistants in our classrooms across the country, namely, the Education (Leave for Injuries) Bill 2025. This Bill was drafted in conjunction with Fórsa trade union, the Irish National Teachers Organisation, INTO, and the campaigner Sophie Cole who is based in Carrigaline in Cork. Ms Cole suffered life-altering injuries in the classroom.

My Bill would seek to amend the assault leave circular that is currently in operation in the Department of education and it would provide for adequate leave for teachers and SNAs who experience injuries in the classroom. I acknowledge that these injuries are not the intention of the students and children involved but, unfortunately, they do happen. We need to make sure our classrooms are safe for children, teachers, SNAs and all staff in our schools. There is an increase in the number of people taking up assault leave, as it is called under the current circular. The INTO recently raised concerns in relation to this matter. Last year, 400 teachers experienced this and took this leave. It is important we address this matter and that the circular is amended. The State has a duty of care to all those working in our schools and the children and students who attend them to make sure people are safe and get the paid leave they need if they experience injuries.

Before I call the next speakers, I welcome to the Gallery Deputy Noel McCarthy and his guests from Fermoy in County Cork.

Once again households are being dealt a blow through higher energy costs and once again this Government is choosing to stand back and not step in. We already have some of the highest electricity rates in Europe. Record numbers of people are in arrears and energy poverty is a daily reality for far too many families. Yet, at this critical moment, the Government has withdrawn the electricity credits which was the only meaningful support these families had. It now expects these hard-pressed households to shoulder the cost of the upgrading of the grid. This is absolutely indefensible. Households and small businesses will face increases in electricity charges of up to 28% while large data centres, which are already putting enormous pressure and strain on the grid, are set to benefit with a reduction in their charges of up to 20%. Let us be clear about what this actually means. Ordinary people are being asked to subsidise the profits of large multinational corporations. That is not an accident or inevitable; it is a political choice.

The Government refuses to challenge the price gouging by energy companies and it refuses to stand up to the large energy users. Sinn Féin has always been clear that the Government must intervene and stop these price hikes. Households should not be paying for the Government's inaction.

I second Senator Harmon's proposal to amend the Order of Business.

I too wish the Cathaoirleach, the new Clerk, the Clerk Assistant and the Leader and his team all the very best for Christmas. I know the Clerk, in particular, has had a baptism of fire in his new role. He is doing a great job and I wish everyone a very pleasant break.

Like others here, I absolutely welcome the announcement from the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, yesterday. On becoming Minister, she committed to dealing with the HIQA report once it was published. The report was published and she dealt with it. She brought a memo to Cabinet and it is probably the most significant memo that has been brought for healthcare in the mid-west, certainly for a couple of generations. The commitment is now clear. Option A is being concluded and there is a very clear and definite timeline. The second very clear and unambiguous commitment, which has now been signed off on by Government, is that option B is now a reality and will happen. The HSE has been tasked with procuring a site in the vicinity of UHL to build the capacity that is needed, not just for the immediate future but for the next 20, 30 and 40 years for healthcare in the mid-west.

This is great news. It is something that is now in train. I wish the HSE every success with the very important body of work that is commencing immediately. I remind it that this is time sensitive and needs to happen quickly. We cannot have any delays, and certainly no undue delays, when it comes to moving option B forward. I appeal to all stakeholders, including local authorities, the people who tender for the projects and so on, to commit in the same way the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, has committed to delivering proper healthcare for the people in the mid-west. I sincerely hope we will see the maternity hospital relocated into the environs of UHL. That is critically important as well. We have seen the new national maternity hospital is happening but we need to see the maternity hospital in Limerick relocated because the children born in the mid-west deserve the same access to timely interventions that children in Dublin and other areas receive.

In the run-up to Christmas, we will have a difficult period because flu is peaking. I spoke to Bernard Gloster this morning and he will be on duty all over Christmas because he expects the hospitals will be under significant pressure. That said, we need to acknowledge the positives. What is finally happening in the mid-west after many years is extremely welcome and positive.

I welcome my good friend, Gillian McCutcheon, into the House today. Gillian has worked with people from an addiction background for many years, is a trained psychologist and has given her life to it. I salute her for that while she is in the House today. I want to draw attention to the crisis that is facing FASD Ireland, which deals with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Despite delivering all agreed KPIs over the years, and in many cases exceeding them, FASD has been chronically underfunded. In 2024, the organisation received €200,000 from the Government to build capacity. In 2025, it wanted to scale and it put in an application for €418,000 to deliver services at scale, with no provision for increased operational costs. I know first hand that staff are working 12-hour days. The organisation cannot afford to heat the offices at some stages. FASD Ireland simply cannot meet the demand.

The situation for FASD Ireland is critical. The final HSE payment for 2025 will not arrive in its bank account until January. That leaves the organisation without any funding for December. Without intervention, FASD may be forced to close before the year ends. An overdraft facility has been sought from Bank of Ireland but approval has not come through yet. That depends on the confirmation of 2026 funding, confirmation which the HSE has yet to provide. It is not an isolated issue. I know many people who have FASD. They are working and, with the proper supports, they are doing well. However, they need support from the Government. I call on the Minister for Health and the Minister of State with responsibility for disability and the HSE to urgently review the 2025 allocation. Vulnerable families with FASD should not be abandoned.

I also wish a big happy Christmas to all of the team here - Bridget, Martin, Carmel and all of the gang who have looked after us for the year. Gabhaim buíochas.

I thank all Senators for their contributions here this morning, starting with Senator Anne Rabbitte, supported by Senator Mullen, in relation to the importance of safeguarding for adults. They called for statements on this in terms of protecting our most vulnerable. I will certainly raise that with the Minister as well. The Senator talked about the need for a proper framework and proper protection. I will request a debate on that in the new year.

Senator Boyhan raised recurring issues that have been raised by Government Members. As Government Senators, we raise issues on behalf of people who contact us, be they councillors or people in our local area. We seek answers and we try to make progress. As I am sure Government Senators will agree, we also raise things within our parliamentary parties and with our colleagues as well. There is no prohibition on Government Senators raising matters here in the Seanad.

Senator Nelson Murray rightly raised the issues of tendering and the prohibitive costs and rules which are a real deterrent for small companies in relation to tendering. I will request a debate with the Minister on procurement issues.

Senator Tully raised domestic violence and the issues of refuges in Cavan and Monaghan. She might put down a commencement debate about Cavan. It is good news that there is a site and funding for Monaghan. I will request a debate on domestic violence with the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan.

Senator Noonan raised his concerns regarding the deterioration of habitat quality and drew attention to restorenature.ie which, as I am sure he knows, was launched during the summer. We had a very positive debate here on our national parks a number of weeks ago. It is an important area. He rightly said we need to ensure there is adequate funding for the National Parks and Wildlife Service to carry out the work it does. It is also about the engagement with the Department of agriculture and farmers, who play a very important role as custodians of the countryside.

Senator Scahill raised the need for a debate on apprenticeships and the importance of apprenticeships for housing supply, energy retrofitting and the likes. I will again request a debate with the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin. She was actually pencilled in for today but had to cancel. I will request a debate with the Minister of State in the new year about apprenticeships.

Senator Kennelly raised Scoil Réalta na Maidine in Listowel. I ask him to put down a Commencement debate on that. He has concerns about the quality of the hall, the need for investment and the state of disrepair. As he said, there are summer emergency works grants that can be applied for. This may be a larger job. If the Senator puts down a Commencement debate in the new year, he may get a better response.

Senator Mullen raised the ban on social media for under-16s in Australia. As I said last week, this will be something that will be looked at and examined by many parliaments and jurisdictions around the world in terms of its impact and whether it will be successful or not. He has called for a debate on the digital wallet system which has been proposed by the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan. I am sure the committee is examining that as well. I will request a debate with the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, in the House on that matter in the new year as well.

Senator Nicole Ryan raised pregnancy loss and the fact there is a cross-parliamentary group. I acknowledge her work on this and the work of my colleague, Senator Linda Nelson Murray, who is part of that, along with others, in terms of the need for a certificate of loss for those who suffer pregnancy loss before 23 weeks. I can certainly understand the importance of that to a grieving mother and family. I will request a debate on that matter as well.

Senator Keogan talked of newborns being removed by Tusla. I certainly hope and suspect that Tusla does not remove any newborn without very good cause and that it is something it does not do lightly. There may be particular issues, be they addiction or whatever, that necessitate the removal of newborns.

If the Senator requests a Commencement debate with the Minister for children, she might get a more direct response.

Senators Maria Byrne and Martin Conway raised yesterday's good news announcement from the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, about University Hospital Limerick. It is an issue that has been raised in this House over the past five years. It has been one of the most overcrowded emergency departments in the country from some time. The ongoing investment in recent years in additional beds is welcome and the plans announced by the Minister yesterday in relation to plans A, B and C are positive in terms of the reconfiguring of the existing hospital, the possible moving out of certain services, the provision of new beds and the identification of a new site for some services. That news is welcome. We had a debate on those plans with the Minister a couple of weeks ago.

Senator Sarah O'Reilly raised the issue of the fisheries deal, which was discussed yesterday. The Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, was in before the committee yesterday. I will again request a debate on fisheries policy in the new year. It is hard to understand and explain how there is such a disparity between our ability to fish in our waters and other European countries' rights. It is part of the Common Fisheries Policy. The Hague preferences, which were available for a long number of years, have been blocked by certain countries. There are lot of issues but I will request a debate on the matter. Senator O'Reilly also talks about the need to bring a court case, but I will have to leave that to the Minister of State in terms of what plans the Department have in relation to that.

Senator Clonan rightly raised the issues of defence and drones. He spoke about the Government's silence on the drones that were in the sky during the visit by President Zelenskyy. I will request a debate with the Minister, Deputy McEntee, on this matter. We had the then Minister, Deputy Harris, pencilled in for a debate a couple of weeks ago, but then there was the change in portfolios. I will request a debate with the Minister, Deputy McEntee. In fact, I am meeting her in a moment to discuss issues within her Department.

Senator Andrews raised the report by Dr. Shannon on St. John Ambulance. The Senator has called for engagement with survivors and says that these people are central stakeholders. He has called for a debate and I will request one with the Minister.

Senator Craughwell again raised a defence matter regarding the delivery of the Government jet, which is good news. He also spoke about primary radar. While the investment is important, the Senator questioned whether we will be able to use it. I will request a debate on that issue with the Minister for Defence. I am sure the Senator will raise the issue with the defence committee in terms of the work programme in the coming weeks.

Senator Gallagher raised the standing down of the search for the late Columba McVeigh. He was just 19 when we was abducted and buried by the IRA. His family are still looking for his remains and for a Christian burial. Our condolences go to his family on the fact that the search has now ended. It is hoped that additional information will be provided so that his remains can be found.

Senator Harmon requested that we take No. 10, the Education (Leave for Injuries) Bill 2025 - First Stage, before No. 2. I am happy to agree to that. I am sure there will be an opportunity to debate that at the earliest opportunity.

Senator Collins raised the issue of household energy costs and the upgrading of the grid. The Government retained the reduction of VAT on gas and electricity in the last budget. It also increased the fuel allowance by €5 to €38 per week and it has been extended for those in receipt of the working family payment. Families are also being encouraged to switch providers to get better deals. When you are contracted to the same provider for a long time, you are often not getting the best value of money. I will request a debate on energy poverty in the new year.

Senator McCarthy raised the issue of foetal alcohol spectrum disorders, FASD. He says that FASD Ireland has been underfunded. I will raise this with the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. I also encourage the Senator to put down a request for a Commencement debate, but in terms of his concerns for funding for this month, it is probably too late. I will engage with the Minister on this issue to find out when an announcement will be made in relation to FASD Ireland and other groups funded through the Department and the HSE.

I welcome guests of Deputy John Paul O'Shea to Seanad Éireann. They are here from the Committee for Communities in Stormont. I thank them for being here.

Senator Harmon has proposed an amendment to the Order of Business, "That No. 10 be taken before No. 2", which has been seconded by Senator Collins. The Leader has indicated that he is prepared to accept this amendment. Is the amendment agreed? Agreed.