I call on the Deputy Leader to outline the Order of Business.

I thank the Cathaoirleach for his lovely tribute to our dear friend, Brian. I know that he was a close friend and colleague of yours. Brian was kind, generous and compassionate. He was passionate about public service and he showed huge resilience in the face of adversity and lifelong health challenges. He had a trademark smile and maybe you could call it a grin. Even looking at photographs of him, you can see that mischievous grin on his face. You can see the force of such a strong personality who absolutely loved people. Certainly, yesterday, his brother, Niall, paid a lovely warm tribute when he talked about the fun aspects of Brian's personality. Our deepest sympathies go to Brian's mother Sally, and to Maeve, Deirdre, Fiona and Niall. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

The Order of Business is No. 1, Credit Review Bill 2024 - Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 4.45 p.m; No. 2, motion regarding the proposed approval by Seanad Éireann of the exercise by the State of Article 20 of the Treaty on European Union authorising enhanced co-operation on the establishment of a loan for Ukraine, to be taken on the conclusion of No. 1 and to conclude after 75 minutes, with the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed eight minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed ten minutes, time may be shared and the Minister to be given no less than seven minutes to reply to the debate; and No. 57(2) on the Supplementary Order Paper, Private Members' business, motion regarding a seller's legal pack, to be taken at 7 p.m. and with the time allocated for the debate not to exceed two hours.

I too would like to be associated with your remarks, a Chathaoirligh, on the former MEP, Brian Crowley. When I was on the Committee of the Regions, along with the Leader, Brian was an MEP serving in Brussels and every year he used to host a dinner for us. He showed collegiality and friendship, and he also gave advice. He was outstanding in his role as an MEP. He represented Munster. He was a very close friend of yours, a Chathaoirligh. He died before his time, but certainly in the short time that he was there, as you outlined yourself, he contributed so much to the European Parliament. To see such a turnout for the funeral yesterday shows the calibre of the person and that he was held in high esteem. I convey my sympathies to his mother and his siblings. May he rest in peace.

This year, Academy Award nominee and festival ambassador, Ruth Negga, who is from Limerick, is calling filmmakers to participate in the Catalyst International Film Festival, which is returning to Limerick city from 23 to 25 April. The closing date for entries into this festival is 16 February, which is only around the corner. The beauty of this film festival is that it is about gender equality, diversity and inclusion. It seeks bold stories that reflect under-represented perspectives in the global film industry. They are three key words that we look at a lot in policymaking. It is a wonderful festival that is about doing things differently and it is being held in Limerick. There is also going to be a free workshop to show people how to participate. It is about getting people who are amateurs involved and putting forward their perspective in terms of the competition. The festival's ambassador, Ruth Negga, has called on people to participate. It is important to get that story out there.

I add my condolences to all those who loved and worked with Brian Crowley. Unfortunately, I did not have the pleasure of knowing him but from hearing party colleagues speak about him, he sounds like an incredible person. I know that his loss is deeply felt. Thank you for your lovely tribute, a Chathaoirligh.

Unfortunately, I also have to voice my deep sympathies and absolute regret and horror on the passing of the teenage girl, Grace Lynch. On Sunday just gone, while she was walking, minding her own business - we believe on her way to meet her boyfriend, living her best 16-year-old life - she was involved in a horrific accident and she instantly lost her life. The person or persons involved were driving a scrambler bike. The use of scrambler bikes on public roads and public spaces is illegal in this country. Unfortunately, a tragic accident has occurred. The matter is being investigated by the Garda and will be before the courts in due course.

While this accident was unpredictable, there have been many calls in this House and in the Lower House for greater action from the Garda in seizing scrambler bikes, which are a scourge in many urban communities around the country. Indeed, in my own area of Limerick we have seen many instances of not just antisocial behaviour, but suspected criminal activity and drug dealing often by youths. In many cases, they are under the age of 16. They are being pushed by criminal gangs to use scrambler bikes and electric scooters to carry out their wishes.

It is a significant issue that the Garda has been asked to deal to with. I add my voice to the concerns that our colleagues from the Dublin constituencies articulated today. Indeed, Senator Comyn joined the meeting with the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and asked for urgent action to address this issue because it is a blight right across the country, particularly in urban areas.

On a happier note, I wish the best of luck to the 300 workers who will be involved in the construction of Limerick's tallest building, which the ground was broken on yesterday. The Office of Public Works, OPW, commissioned a building that Limerick 2030 will deliver. It will overlook the canal and the river in Limerick city centre. It is part of a regeneration project to revitalise a disused section of our city centre and the OPW will take the building for the Revenue Commissioners, which will have about 950 spaces within it when it is completed. It will be 14-storeys high. I wish everyone involved in the project the best of luck.

I join the Cathaoirleach in the moving tribute he paid to Brian Crowley, a remarkable man. I had many dealings with him through my work as a director of the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. When we were doing our corporate plan many years ago, I met him in the Metropole Hotel and he very kindly gave a few hours of his time. He said to me: "What encapsulates what you do should be the head of your strategic policy and your vision for that charity." A lot of people followed us because we had more interest in dogs than in visually impaired people. It is a strange charity, but he summed it all up when he said it is about independent dignity and independent mobility but both with respect. That was the key to his mission with disability issues. He, however, was far beyond that. His disability did not define him, as it does it with so many people. He had great vision. He talked about independent mobility. Mobility is important, but the crucial element is that someone who is visually impaired or has another disability can have privacy. That was what he was talking about when he spoke about dignity. If you are visually impaired or blind, you cannot read your most personal details, matters that are private and pertinent to you, be they your legal or medical information. You cannot engage with your solicitor. Brian also shared his own experience with people who came to him and people naturally came to him for advocacy work.

I commend him, but I also know he was a great personal friend of the Cathaoirleach's and the Cathaoirleach was a great personal friend of his. You supported one another and there were great similarities between you. You both were fiercely determined, fiercely ambitious and did not apologise for that. That is a nice trait to have in anyone. I commend the Cathaoirleach and offer my sympathies to the people who supported Brian.

I note the Order of the Business and the Supplementary Order Paper. I hope, and appeal to, Members to engage with Senator McCarthy's Private Member's business on the seller’s legal pack for property buyers because it is timely and we will have an opportunity to deal with it. I am on record many times in this House saying that Tailte Éireann is not fit for purpose. I will elaborate in greater detail on that this afternoon. I printed off three Commencement matters and parliamentary questions that have been asked in the past few months in this House to demonstrate that profound and bold statement. Tailte Éireann is not fit for purpose and will very much be central to my contribution in the upcoming debate. On a positive note, I commend the Government for its vacant property refurbishment grants. Paying out 3,000 grants in 2025 is no mean achievement and is really positive.

I appeal to the Leader and all Members of this House to put pressure on so that we will have new rural planning guidelines. The current guidelines are also not fit for purpose. They are there for years, despite all the promises made. Members who represent rural community know well what I am referring to because I have seen the correspondence many of them have got. It has been shared with me and others. We need to tackle rural housing and we need new rural housing guidelines. We also need diversification. We want to save rural towns all over this country that are dying on their feet for the lack of a driven, positive policy for the rejuvenation of those special communities and places.

I agree with the Cathaoirleach's moving tribute to and for Brian Crowley. Brian was only 61.

I knew him pretty well and I always found him really committed, energetic and passionate about his constituents, his community and people in general. I extend my deepest sympathies to his family on his passing.

Renters in this country are being abused every day by our broken housing system. Rents are sky high and the quality of properties is often in the gutter. On average, a one-bedroom apartment goes for more than €2,000 a month, which is completely out of reach for all but a tiny proportion of individuals. It is essentially impossible for a young working person living in Dublin to rent their own apartment, which is the norm for a working professional in most other comparable European cities.

This situation only leaves a handful of options for people. These options include living at home well into their adult lives, renting rooms in shared houses for years or hoping to make use of a social housing scheme. For individuals in this city, particularly single parents, none of these are particularly good options. I often think about a young single father in my area whose income is only marginally above the social housing limit. He does not make enough to pay rent for himself and his son and yet he is left with absolutely no support from the State. What options does he have? Will he have to couch surf forever? Will he have to look for the one-in-a-million-house share that is family friendly, while shelling out on rent instead of being able to save for a mortgage?

I was contacted by another person in my constituency who is renting a two-bedroom apartment for €2,500 a month. That is absolutely insane. In October 2025, she had a major leak in her hallway. A plumber was called who made a gaping hole in the wall so he could access the pipes, and then he promptly left. To make matters worse, her heating then broke, and this family has been living in the cold since November. A month later, after constant calls and emails to the landlord and agents, this hole is still there, the heating remains broken and the plumbing leak was never fixed, letting constant seeping sewage, cold water and flies into the apartment. Having finally had enough, the tenant informed the landlord she wanted to leave the property and was promptly told she would not be getting any of her deposit back despite the landlord being the one who had failed to provide a comfortable and safe home. The tenant pays the landlord’s mortgage, and more on top, and does not get anything in return, other than a leaky, overpriced roof over her head. In what world is that fair or just?

Our housing system is designed, from top to bottom, to benefit the wealthy at the expense of the poor. I urge the Minister for housing to come in here to explain how he plans to make renting in this country a fair option for working people.

I would also like to pay tribute to Brian Crowley and I thank the Cathaoirleach for his moving tribute. He truly was an inspiration and a pioneer of politics.

The only other name on everybody's lips today is that of a beautiful young girl, Grace Lynch, who lost her life in such a tragic way in Finglas. To see her mother paying tribute to her was just heartbreaking. We need to ensure this does not happen again and no other parent goes through what she is going through.

I last raised the issue of the misuse of scramblers last April, quite shortly after another teenager, Jason Monks, lost his life in an incident involving a scrambler. I had already been working with families in east Meath and in Ballsgrove in Drogheda who are plagued morning, noon and night by these children on scramblers. As I say, they are children. There is nothing wrong with scramblers, but the issue is around their misuse. In the wrong hands, as we can see, they are lethal weapons. They should stay in a controlled sports environment and that is why we have to work hard. I welcomed the legislation that made it illegal for them to be on public roads, but we need to go as far as we can to make sure they are illegal in every public or private space, be it beaches, parks, housing estates or green spaces. It should be illegal in every single area. The only place where scramblers should be seen is in safe hands on properly designated sports tracks.

As alluded to, I met the Minister for justice, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, today. He is taking our recommendations on board and to the Cabinet. I look forward to seeing legislation being brought forward as soon as possible to take these lethal weapons, when they are in the wrong hands, off the streets. I would also welcome a debate in the House with the Minister of State, Deputy Seán Canney, to see how we can bring that legislation to bear and get these scramblers off our streets.

I wish to pass on my sincere condolences to the family of Brian Crowley.

Last Friday night, I was at sitting at home. I opened Instagram and saw a fellow politician online shaking and in tears. This person is a county councillor elected democratically by the people of the town of Navan, not once but twice. On Friday evening, on her way back to her car, this councillor by approached by someone asking her to confirm that she was a county councillor. Upon replying, a tirade of abuse began: "You are not welcome; go back to where you came from; you are not Irish". These are all very hurtful comments. To finish this off, this man drew his breath, drew saliva and spat at her. Councillor Yemi Adenuga is over 25 years in Ireland. Her children were born here. She works here yet was horrendously racially assaulted on the streets of her hometown and my hometown, Navan. Where in society is this behaviour ever acceptable? Are we back to when posters and windows read, "No blacks; no Irish; no dogs"? Are some people really that discriminatory? Sadly, the answer is "Yes". This is not about what one feels about people coming in or out of our country or our migration policies. This is about the common decency we need to show everyone we meet, no matter what their skin colour is or where they are from. People are genuinely afraid, both native Irish and migrants. People fear what they do not know and are wary of. We need strong political will to determine sustainable solutions to dealing with these rising incidents across every county in Ireland.

What happened to this councillor is no more than hateful bile. It is up to the Ministers for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and Education and Youth and all of us to find realistic and practical ways to deal with these issues. Do we in society continue to blame newcomers for all the problems? Do we attack them, call them names and spit in their faces? I definitely cannot get this out of my head. I cannot imagine someone spitting in my face. I cannot imagine someone spitting in any woman's face or man's face. It is seriously the lowest of the low. I ask the Chair to ask the Ministers I have mentioned to debate how we prevent this from happening again and what the consequences are to the person who did this to Councillor Yemi Adenuga.

Hear, hear.

I too would like to be associated with the tributes to Brian Crowley. I can see how moved the members of the Fianna Fáil group here in the Seanad are. My sympathies go to them as the wider family and to the Crowley family. I did not know the man - I never met him - but any time I ever saw him interviewed or on TV, he seemed a larger-than-life character. As my colleague Senator Boyhan said, his disability certainly did not define him. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

This morning, I spent the morning with members of the uniformed services, including the fire service, the Prison Service, An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces. The post-2013 pension is destroying front-line services. Members of the Garda are retiring or leaving the force while they are young and fit because there is no future with no pension. Members of the Defence Forces, prison officers and fire service people are doing the same. Somehow or other we have not gotten it into our heads that these people are not capable of working to the age of 66 in the highly stressful environment they work in. They have to retire in their 50s. Denying them the supplementary pension means that after 32 years of service they come out with paltry sums. The only advice that is being given to them is, "Sure, go and get another job". They are being advised to try to get another job in their mid-50s or early 60s in some cases. We had a Commencement matter tabled here. The Cathaoirleach facilitated it in the previous Government. One of the civil servants who was here said that we need to get over this post-2013 thing and we all have to live with this. They do not have to live with it because ordinary members of the public service or Civil Service can work until normal retirement age when they qualify for the old age pension.

Take a prison officer, for example, retiring at 55 or 56 years of age, having to sign on at the local employment exchange where he or she is likely to meet somebody who was in prison previously, a former client. It is just not good enough. I ask the Leader to invite the Minister to the House to debate this matter.

First, I pay tribute to former Senator and MEP Brian Crowley and extend my sympathies to his family and to the Cathaoirleach at this difficult time.

Today the State Examinations Commission, SEC, published the guidelines for extra time in this year's leaving and junior certificate exams for students with very specific learning difficulties. It is positive that there is some acknowledgement that there is a problem, but that is as far as I see today's action going. It is an acknowledgement that a problem exists but it does nothing to solve it. The SEC has given ten extra minutes across the board in every single State exam this summer, whether it is a short junior certificate exam or a three-hour-and-20-minute exam in something like English, where students are pushed to the pin of their collar, regardless of a learning difficulty, to actually finish the exam. A meaningless ten minutes has been added on to a lot of these exams but that does nothing for students who are really crying out for help. In the UK, for example, students get a minimum of 25% extra time in their exams if they have similar learning difficulties to the ones that today's action addresses, or tries to address. In Ireland, with this action, students will have an extra 5% on average across the leaving certificate. That is not good enough. It screams tokenism. It screams an effort to just pacify people and keep them quiet, to brush the problem under the carpet and not actually address it. Across-the-board measures do not work. Every subject is different and every student learns in a different way. We need much more comprehensive action that actually addresses the problem.

I would like the Minister to come to the House to discuss this. There is still time. The leaving certificate exam is still five months away. We can do an awful lot more for students in this country. Today's action is an acknowledgement that a problem exists and no more.

I also want to extend my deepest sympathies to the Crowley family and to the Cathaoirleach.

Today I want to ask the Leader if he could get an answer from the Minister of State with responsibility for the marine as to when the new committee will be set up under the chairmanship of Michael Berkery. There have been massive cuts in the fishing industry which are unprecedented and the coastal communities in Ireland are really under pressure. We were told in December that this committee would be set up under Michael Berkery and would be up and running in January but, to my knowledge, nothing has happened. We do not even know if the committee has terms of reference or what is going on here. A lot of people are affected by what is going on including boat owners, fishermen and fisherwomen, factory owners and factory workers. They all need to be taken into consideration. These people want to work but the work is not there, so social welfare must be brought into this as well. We have to look after these people. The time for talking is over. We need urgent action. When is the committee going to be set up? What are the terms of reference? When will we get the findings? The service industries have to be included in the terms of reference too.

I too want to extend my sympathies to the Crowley family and the Fianna Fáil family on the loss of Brian.

I rise today to speak about the universal social charge, USC. When the USC was introduced, we were told it was a temporary measure, a crisis tax for a crisis moment. Yet, here we are, a decade and a half later, with a Government still clinging to it as though it were some sacred pillar of fiscal stability. Fine Gael promised to abolish the USC. Its members stood before voters in 2016 with that pledge but today we see a complete U-turn. There is not even an apology, just silence and spin. Meanwhile, the people bearing the brunt are not the wealthy, the multinationals or the political class but the working poor - the carers, shop owners, taxi drivers and parents juggling two jobs. The USC hits hardest those who can least afford it, shaving off the few euro they desperately need for food, energy, school costs and rent.

We are told that we cannot abolish the USC because the State needs the money, while corporation tax receipts have skyrocketed from roughly €4 billion in 2012 to almost €40 billion by 2025, a tenfold increase.

The money is there. What is lacking is political will and political honesty. If cuts are required to make up the difference, then let us have the courage to start at the top. Let us begin by cutting the pensions of the very Ministers and TDs who promised to abolish the USC and then abandoned that promise once safely in office. Actions should have consequences, especially when those actions burden ordinary working people.

While we are trimming excess, let us look at the bloated NGO sector, where millions are spent annually on organisations with overlapping roles, minimal transparency and limited accountability. If we must tighten belts, let us start with the sectors that have grown fat on public money, not with the pockets of those already stretching to breaking point.

I never had the pleasure or privilege of meeting Brian Crowley. I just knew him as hugely successful politician, an MEP, a poll topper and a man who dedicated his life to public service. He was somebody who had incredible commitment to public service. I understand he was hugely talented musically and was a humorous and warm individual. He was clearly a very good friend of the Cathaoirleach and a great colleague to many of my colleagues. I offer my deepest sympathies to the Cathaoirleach and all his family and friends. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

I also offer my deepest sympathies and condolences to the parents, family, friends, school and community of Grace Lynch. This time last week, Grace was a 16-year-old girl with her all of her life ahead of her. She was walking across the road when her life was just robbed from her, from her parents and from her family. The pain in her mother's voice - no human should have to endure that - and the pain they are all going through is unimaginable. My deepest sympathies go to them.

I am spokesperson for Dublin and I acknowledge that the Minister for justice met with me and my colleagues today. We have campaigned to make this form of dangerous driving illegal and to give the Garda powers to seize scramblers and tackle this issue. I am absolutely sick to the back teeth, like everybody else living in this city, and it is not just in this city, of seeing people on scramblers going around with hoods up, balaclavas on, no helmets, no licence or tax, speeding and not observing any of the laws or rules of the road. The consequences are tragic. Sadly, Grace Lynch was not the first person to be murdered by a scrambler and, at this moment in time, we cannot say she is going to be the last. It is just not acceptable.

I would really appreciate it if the Leader could urgently arrange for the Minister for Transport to come in to advise this House when the regulations that have been legislated for will be enacted, so that action can be taken. Failing that, we need an emergency ban on all scramblers everywhere until such time as this is put under control.

I, too, would like to be associated with the condolences to the family of Brian Crowley and to the Cathaoirleach.

I will not go over what Senators Ryan, Comyn and Fitzpatrick have said, but I will raise the passing of Grace Lynch as well. Like so many in this House, I have got a lot of correspondence in relation to this matter. One item of correspondence which hit home stated that Grace Lynch is not just a number, a statistic or a headline, but a young girl so full of life and energy who always had a smile on her face and was constantly laughing and joking; she never let anything get to her; she was so full of joy and happiness; and she made sure to spread that energy wherever she went. Just last week, the correspondent sat behind this girl in class. That was sent in to us all by a girl from Finglas, Ella, who is looking for a ban on scramblers and e-scooters.

We all know that legislation exists to stop that but I would like to reiterate the call to support the Garda in enforcing this law. I support the call to have the Minister for Transport in to discuss this. This follows from the increase in road deaths in 2025, information about which was published last week. The report showed that a total of 185 people lost their lives in 174 fatal collisions on public roads in 2025, which represented an 8% increase in deaths on our roads last year. A total of 41 of those, or 22%, were pedestrians. Fourteen, or 8%, were pedal cyclists. Three, or 2%, were attributed to e-scooters. In this day and age, we have done so much and enacted so many laws. We just need to get down to enforcing them. I support the former Senator with regard to education. We really need to get into schools and transition year students and actually enforce it.

Having mentioned that, at the weekend, Threen National School contacted me once again about a very near miss on a main road outside the school, where kids were getting into cars after school and a car nearly hit one of them. They need the safe routes to school scheme, which it is not currently able to access. Yesterday, I was at Scoil an Chroí Naofa in Ballinasloe, a two-sited primary school. Hopefully we will be able to address that. Deputy Martin Daly and I have made numerous representations to the Minister about the new school build. It will be on one site, moving forward, with a bit of luck. In this day and age, we cannot have students crossing main roads during their school day. I support the call for a discussion on that.

I too give my condolences to the Cathaoirleach and the family of Brian Crowley.

It is only a month into 2026 and many small businesses across the country are struggling to get by. Our economy is heavily reliant on foreign multinationals, while Irish-owned businesses struggle to survive. Foreign direct investment, FDI, in Ireland is worth more than 2.5 times our entire economy. It is scary that we are that reliant on it. Over 80% of corporation tax now comes from foreign companies. Around 70% of our exports come from multinationals and nearly 70% of that investment comes from America alone. That means our public finances, jobs and budget are heavily dependent on decisions made in foreign boardrooms. A change in US tax rules, a trade dispute or a company restructuring could hit our economy really hard. It is worrying to see that the Government is not trying to address this over-reliance on FDI. One of our biggest indigenous exports is agriculture, yet we see Government MEPs supporting the Mercosur trade deal. This would decimate the Irish beef industry, yet there has been virtually no real opposition from the Government. Multinationals can up and move, but our farmers are tied to the land. They are rooted in this country and the Government needs to fully support one of our most valuable indigenous exports.

If someone is self-employed in Ireland, they face high PRSI, USC, VAT, commercial rates, insurance, energy bills, the rising minimum wage and now the new auto-enrolment scheme. They take all the risk, create local jobs and keep towns alive, yet they are treated as an afterthought in national policy. We need to put indigenous industry front and centre. The Government could take small steps to support small businesses, like a PRSI rebate or a reform of the commercial rates system. National economic policy should prioritise indigenous businesses that will not simply up and leave if conditions are better elsewhere.

I first offer my vote of sympathy to the family of Grace Lynch on her tragic passing and to all my Fianna Fáil colleagues on the passing of former Senator and MEP Brian Crowley. I offer my condolences.

Last week, after a positive week of housing developments in my home town, Ballina, from a both affordable and social housing point of view, I was travelling down the road from Leinster House and my phone began to receive many calls from residents in the Parkside area.

It was about an incident I will highlight here this afternoon that needs to be addressed. This is about someone who was convicted of murder in court being released into Ballina. Having no connection with the area, the person was relocated to the Parkside area of Ballina. The individual was deemed by the judge at the time to be a risk and a threat of causing further violence to the public. The person had eight serious incidents-----

I want Members to be aware of the Standing Orders about making people identifiable that would affect any court proceedings now or in the future. I want Members to be cautious.

I thank the Cathaoirleach. What I am stating here is all on the public record. I am conscious of this and I will not be naming names. I want to highlight the thinking behind this, for Mayo's sake and for the sake of every county and community. The individual had caused eight separate incidents in prison and was deemed to be a risk to the public. He had thrown boiling water over a prison warden's face. For whatever reason, it was decided he would be relocated to Ballina although he had no connection to the area. This caused consternation among the residents.

There were four social workers there to receive him and this caused concern in the community. Immediately, I was on the phone to housing authorities and community police, who were brilliant in terms of communicating with me. No public representative was communicated with; we found out at second hand through residents on the street. Within five minutes of him being in the house he was arrested because of an assault on one of the poor care workers supporting him. There was a court sitting that evening and, thankfully, he has left the town. Over my dead body will he return to Ballina. He should not have been there in the first place. He was clearly a risk to the public and there should be a step-down facility that protects the public, whether in Ballina, Mayo or any county.

I acknowledge the speed of the Courts Service in hosting a sitting that evening. I was hoping to attend it to make sure I was on top of all of the facts but it was done very quickly. He is no longer a risk to the public. I am using this time to highlight it and to make sure that incidents such as this do not happen in any town, village or county. When we have huge housing lists and people in an area desperately looking for housing, to have someone with no connection to an area causing a risk to the community is totally unacceptable. We need to have dedicated facilities for people who are a risk to the public and who are stepping down from prison. This cannot happen. Ballina deserves better, Parkside deserves better and Lord Edward Street deserves better.

I wish to be associated with the messages of sympathy to the Fianna Fáil Party and the family of Brian Crowley on his recent passing. As a fellow county man, he gave a fantastic life of service to Fianna Fáil here in this House and as a Member of the European Parliament.

I want to raise serious concerns about current restrictions on controlled burning in upland areas, particularly in the Comeragh Mountains, County Waterford, and the consequences these restrictions are having on animal health, farm viability and land management. Controlled burning, when carried out responsibly and at the correct time of year, is a well-established land management practice. It plays a vital role in preventing the build-up of rank heather, which creates ideal conditions for ticks. These ticks spread disease such as louping ill, causing massive losses for sheep farmers and real animal welfare concerns.

The inability to carry out controlled burns is leading to higher tick burdens, poorer grazing quality and increased veterinary costs for farmers in the Comeraghs. It is not sustainable for hill sheep farming, which is already under pressure. A case was raised with me by my colleague, Councillor Liam Brazil, of an application to the NPWS from a Waterford farmer in August 2025 for controlled burning permission. He has yet to receive a reply from the NPWS, or even an acknowledgement of the application. It is absolutely disgraceful that an application made in August has yet to be even acknowledged, not to mind receive an answer.

Farmers are not seeking reckless burning. It is a call for a balanced science-based approach that recognises the role of controlled burning in protecting sheep, supporting biodiversity and reducing the risk of uncontrolled wildfires later in the year.

I call on the Minister for agriculture and the Minister of State with responsibility for the NPWS to work with farmers, fire services and environmental experts to ensure that properly regulated, controlled burning is permitted, rather than effectively banned, which is what we see happening. If we want to keep active farming communities in our uplands we have to give them the tools to manage the land responsibly, as they know how.

I want to talk about two events I was at over the weekend. One of them was run by the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association, ITBA. I was brought up on a farm in County Kildare with point-to-point horses. Horse racing, horse breeding and the half-bred industry, all of that is a fascinating industry and it really impressed me. Last weekend I really enjoyed it because I saw ordinary people from farms all over Ireland attending this event, with some of the people who would be well known in the media and get a lot of the attention. An award went to Sandra Russell, a small-time breeder and farmer from Tipperary. She had bred a horse that made €1.6 million. She is an ordinary lady but one who is absolutely kicking the ball out of the park. Then there was Joe Osborne who was given a special award. When he was in school many years ago Joe Osborne was warned that if he did not study he would end up working with horses. I can tell everyone that it has worked out very well for him. He led the Godolphin operation in Kildangan and beyond for Sheikh Maktoum. This is an industry that brings in €2.5 billion to the economy and employs over 30,000 people. Well done to everybody involved.

The second event was in the Leader's constituency in Newbridge. I was asked to attend an event by my old alma mater. I know the Cathaoirleach will find it hard to believe but I was there 40 years ago in secondary school. I was asked to MC an event and the alumni from various years were there. It was fascinating to see different people from the arts, business, politics and charities and what they had achieved. My job was to interview three alumni. One was Geordan Murphy, the Irish rugby international. The second was Louise Quinn, the Irish soccer international and the third was Niamh Horan from the Sunday Independent. It was fascinating to see what the alumni from a school can do when they all bond together and they can achieve much. From setting up Tiglin over the years I know that I have not kept in touch with the Newbridge College alumni but a lot of them have supported me, got behind me, given me properties and made a huge difference. My point is that when alumni work together we can make that difference.

Before I call the next speaker I welcome a guest of Senator Mary Fitzpatrick. Eoin Williams from Castletroy College is most welcome here today. I hope you enjoy your visit. Anois, an Seanadóir Cosgrove.

Go raibh maith agat a Chathaoirligh. I also want to extend my sympathies to the family and to the Cathaoirleach. As a fellow Bandonian, I knew Brian when we were growing up. He used to come to a lot of our debs' balls and graduation balls. He always had a smile on his face. We all thought he was the really cool politician with his long hair and leather jacket and he was a great singer in a band. He is so fondly missed in Bandon. I differed from him politically but he was so well regarded in Bandon and he was only about ten years older than us. Sincere condolences to yourselves and to his family. I also want to mention Grace Lynch. I thank the other Senators for putting the lack of enforcement and regulation on the speaking rota for today. I would really welcome as well that the Minister would come here to address road safety. The issue is getting worse and worse and it is high time we had a serious debate about it.

I also want to speak briefly with my last bit of time about another issue. I had a group with me today in the Seanad, members of the student council from the Ursuline College Sligo. I know Senator O'Loughlin was very gracious and met them here. They came here because they are waiting for a refurbishment in the school. They applied for planning permission over 11 years ago. We did the educational workshop downstairs. It was fantastic to hear about how democracies work and I want to say a big thanks to all the staff here in Leinster House for that. We were very lucky to meet the Minister, Deputy Naughton. The students were able to present her with their petition. It was like politics and democracy in action. I wanted to raise this to make sure it is addressed. I know there are so many schools crying out for the list that will come out soon about refurbishments to schools. This school has been waiting for 11 years and the planning permission is going to run out unless the Minister authorises it to move on to the next stage. The planning permission is due to run out in May 2027, so it is a matter of urgency.

It was the first time many of them had come up here. It would be wonderful to push on further the interest they have in politics.

I too want to be associated with the condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Brian Crowley. While I did not know him personally, I certainly knew of him and I was a great admirer of him. I actually thought about him in recent weeks for some reason. I had not heard anything about him and I was very sorry to hear of his passing.

I want to raise family resource centres and the work they do. I think we would all agree that they are vital to our communities throughout the country. I refer in particular to Teach Oscail in Cavan town, the Focus family resource centre in Killashandra, Clones FRC and Teach na nDaoine in Monaghan and the vital work they do with families in those areas. They work with children, families, individual adults and communities. They work with a lot of deprived communities, in particular, on issues such as domestic violence, mental health and addiction. They use evidence-based and evidence-informed prevention and early intervention ways to address all these issues. They support families facing cost-of-living challenges, housing crisis challenges, food poverty and even hygiene poverty. They are filling a gap that is left by some of our State agencies.

Their asks in budget 2026 were quite meagre, but one of the asks is very important, specifically for Teach Oscail in Cavan town. It is capital funding in order that it can source a building. Its rent is colossal and continues to rise and it may find itself homeless without some sort of support. We need to see if there is a building that would suit its needs.

These organisations are also concerned about the recently implemented Tusla Child and Family Agency structural reform and they want an assurance from the Minister, Deputy Foley, that this will not alter their national programme status or their ring-fenced national programme budget, or indeed the local governance and autonomy. They give cradle-to-grave development support in all our family resource centres to the people in their community and they want to ensure that they can continue that work. They want to ensure that the work they are doing now will continue to be supported in the way it has been and, indeed, better supported financially. If that could be raised with the Minister, I would appreciate it.

Last week, I am sure many of us in the House were gratified when we saw the Minister for housing, James Browne, make a ruling that from now on the process that was going to be used for the collection of the derelict sites levy was being handed over to Revenue and taken away from the local authorities. This has come about as a result of the Minister's perception that the local authorities have been largely a failure in collecting derelict sites levies that have been outstanding on derelict properties. I commend the Minister and agree with him.

In our own case, down in Waterford City and County Council, we have a derelict sites register but, if I might illustrate by way of an example, a hotel in Tramore has been derelict for about the past 12 years. I know the derelict sites levy came into effect only a few years back but, as far as I can remember off the top of my head, it makes provision for levies of 7% to be collected. On the purported valuation of that hotel, it changed hands a couple of years back for €2 million, but even if it were €1 million, that is €70,000 per annum, notwithstanding interest on the outstanding amount, so we are talking about getting on for €250,000 in four years.

This is replicated all over the country, and when local authorities fail to collect these levies, it is really a lost opportunity for them to enhance their own revenue. It also gives a signal that dereliction is acceptable. As we all know from our own towns and cities, dereliction is a scourge on communities. The only way to hit the people causing the dereliction, the owners of these buildings, is to either deal with them through the planning process in a proactive way or else fine them. I compliment the Minister on taking the bull by the horns on this matter and I hope there will be lots more positive results in the time to come.

I thank all 19 Senators who contributed on this afternoon's Order of Business. We started with Senator Maria Byrne. Along with everyone else who spoke this afternoon, Senator Byrne paid great tribute to our former colleague Brian Crowley and extended sympathies to his family, to the Cathaoirleach, who had a very strong personal relationship with Brian, and to the Fianna Fáil family. It is very much appreciated. I know that his family certainly appreciate all of that.

Senator Byrne also spoke about the Academy Award-nominated Ruth Negga, an incredible actress who is inviting people to get involved in a film festival in Limerick. That festival is going to be about gender equality and inclusion. The deadline is 16 February. Senator Byrne wanted to highlight that and to encourage amateur filmmakers all around the country to get involved. We echo and support that.

Along with many of our other contributors, Senator Dee Ryan spoke about the tragic death of Grace Lynch on Sunday. We all extend our very deepest sympathies to Grace's family and friends and to her school community. We have all had a number of emails from the community and from her school friends. The first one I received was from a teacher who said she had been teaching Grace in class the day before. We are all incredibly shocked by that horrific tragedy. While I know An Garda Síochána has already made an arrest, it will obviously need to continue its investigation. It is probably inappropriate to comment on specific aspects of the case because of that ongoing investigation but watching her heartbroken mum on television last night as people gathered to finish the walk Grace set out to take to meet her boyfriend and hearing that plea from the heart moved every one of us.

I thank the Senator for organising that meeting this morning. It is important to note that An Garda Síochána already has significant powers under legislation to combat antisocial and dangerous use of scramblers and e-scooters. That legislation was signed into law in 2023 and brings this under the remit of the Minister for Transport. It includes provision to tackle the dangerous use of vehicles, including e-scooters and scramblers, granting An Garda Síochána new seizure powers. In 2024, 124 scramblers and 32 quad bikes were seized. Up to the end of October 2025, the Garda had seized 113 scramblers and 22 quad bikes. Also in 2025, 958 fixed-charge penalty notices were issued for e-scooter-related offences and 817 e-scooters were seized and detained. That is an incredible number. It shows us how big the problem is. We should not think that nothing is happening and that gardaí are not doing their jobs because they are. If An Garda Síochána needs more supports, we should certainly look for them. I know that will not make any difference to Grace's family. We extend our sympathies and we will look for a debate with the Minister. We will ask him to come in. Senator Scahill, whose contribution I will come to, gave us statistics on road traffic deaths and incidents and they were shocking. We will ask the Minister to come here to speak about road traffic deaths, what can be done about them, and e-scooters and quad bikes.

Senator Ryan also spoke about the 300 workers who have just started work on what is going to be Limerick's tallest building. It is an OPW building for the Revenue Commissioners and is part of the regeneration and revitalisation of Limerick.

That is great to see.

Senator Boyhan spoke about the work Brian Crowley did with dogs for the disabled and quoted him talking about independent dignity and mobility with respect. That just sums up Brian. He also spoke about Tailte Éireann, which is responsible for property registration, property valuation and national mapping. He expressed his concerns about how Tailte Éireann is operating. We should look for a debate. It has an important function. I know that it is sometimes difficult to get any response from it. We should ask for a debate on that with the relevant Minister. Senator Boyhan also spoke about rural planning guidelines not being fit for purpose, and I think we all agree with that.

Senator Andrews spoke about the challenges that renters have and the difficulties in getting a place to rent that is suitable, affordable and appropriate for somebody's needs. It is particularly difficult for single people. I rented for 16 years and can attest to that. He also mentioned difficulties with apartments. Landlords are absolutely responsible for the upkeep of apartments. The RTB is there to protect renters as well as landlords. We should encourage people, where there are problems with their apartments, to contact the RTB. I know the Minister is doing all he can to try to ensure renters get a fair deal and have affordable options. He introduced new legislation yesterday at Cabinet in relation to that. We will ask for a debate.

Senator Comyn also spoke about Grace Lynch and mentioned Jason Monks, who lost his life in a similar way. She looked for a debate with the Minister of State, Deputy Canney.

Senator Nelson Murray spoke about the horrific racial attack on a Fine Gael councillor in Navan. I have met Yemi a few times. She is a fabulous advocate and a wonderful public representative. It is hard enough to go through elections. I know that from my colleague, Uruemu, in Longford, who has endured this awful racial abuse. To be spat at following a meeting, and after a tirade of racial abuse, is absolutely shocking. The Senator asked about the consequences for the individual. I do not know whether she has identified who the individual is. I certainly hope she has made a report to the local Garda. I know that is a difficult thing to do. It has to be of huge concern to everybody who values democracy that one of our public representatives would be treated in such a way. For anybody to be treated in such a way is absolutely shocking. I am thinking of Yemi.

Senator Craughwell spoke of meeting with uniformed personnel in the fire services, An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces about the post-2013 pension. I am sure the Senator will recall that the motion Fianna Fáil proposed the week before last mentioned this specifically as a recommendation from us. It is an important element that needs to be resolved. We will look for another debate with the Minister. To be fair, she was here during that debate and gave a relatively positive response. However, we can ask again about that specific issue.

Senator Curley spoke about the SEC publishing guidelines for extra time for exams. I think they were published this morning. This issue was the subject of a Fianna Fáil Private Members' motion just before Christmas. While we welcome that there was a consideration given, it is regrettable that consideration only amounted to an extra ten minutes across the board. Some exams are three and a half hours long, so what does ten minutes really mean?

In the UK at a minimum, those who are identified as having an extra need in relation to scribing time get an extra 25%. This extra ten minutes only amounts to about 5%. To be honest, it really does seem like tokenism. We do need to have another debate with the Minister and we certainly will look for that.

Senator Manus Boyle looked for information on the new marine committee under the chairperson of Michael Berkery and asked when that is going to be set up. I texted the Minister of State with responsibility for the marine, Deputy Dooley, during order of business and he assures me it is going to be set up in two weeks and that they are just finalising the terms of reference at this point. I am sure Senator Boyle will be glad to hear that. I thank him for his interest and his support in relation to an important issue.

Senator Keogan and spoke about the USC. When that was first introduced, it was a temporary measure. As we often see when a temporary measure has come in, unfortunately it becomes a practically permanent one. We would all like to see the abolition of the USC. The Senator mentioned that she felt that Ministers who were here when that was brought in should be giving some money back. I think there are very few Ministers from that time here. I do understand that all Ministers at present are gifting back a certain amount of their salary.

Senator Fitzpatrick also extended condolences to the family of Grace Lynch and wanted to acknowledge that the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan did meet this morning. The Senator is absolutely right, we need to do more, but we will look for that debate with the Minister for Transport.

Senator Scahill again spoke about Grace and about an email from her classmate, Ella. He is correct that we need to talk to the Garda to see how we can support them in the enforcement of the laws that were introduced in 2023. The Senator spoke about the 8% increase in road deaths last year. Quite frighteningly, 22% were pedestrians, 14% pedal cyclists and three deaths were attributed to e-scooters. It shows those who are not in a car are very vulnerable. In terms of safe routes to school, the Senator is right. We cannot have pupils crossing the roads now. We need to make sure that the safe routes to school takes that. We will ask to have the Minister here about that.

Senator Sarah O'Reilly spoke about FDI and about how the economy is very reliant on FDI. The fact that we have 80% corporation tax coming from FDI does put our economy in a precarious situation. We should look for the Minister for enterprise to come to this House to have a debate about how we support indigenous industries. Local enterprise offices are doing a lot of absolutely excellent work with local enterprises but we absolutely need to do more. We need to do more to support those that are in bricks-and-mortar buildings, not online. It really pains me when I see so many people shopping online and not giving consideration to the fact that family members, neighbours and their community are reliant on those jobs within bricks-and-mortar businesses, and the wider community in terms of looking for prizes to support every type of dinner dance, school walk, everything. We all need to do more to fully support our local businesses. We absolutely will look for the Minister to come and have a debate on that.

Senator Duffy spoke about a really tough situation in Ballina where somebody who was convicted for murder has been relocated. They did not have any input whatsoever and, it would seem, did not have any family in Ballina, but started to live in Ballina. The same individual, apart from being convicted in court, was connected with eight separate incidents in prison. The person deemed to be at risk of causing harm to others so obviously this did cause consternation on the particular estate in the Parkside area. Within a very short time, one of the social workers who was involved was actually assaulted.

That is shocking. The individual has now been removed, but there needs to be a wider debate about how we deal with people who come from prison. We do need to have step-down facilities. Everybody deserves to feel safe in their own estate and their own community.

Senator Eileen Lynch spoke about the current restrictions on controlled burning, which is a well-established method of control. Now, unfortunately, there is an inability to burn, which is causing many challenges. The Senator spoke about a farmer making an application in August. It still has not been acknowledged, which is not good. We need the Minister to work with farmers and environmental organisations to come up with a system that will be fair to everybody. We will look for the Minister to come to the House to talk about that.

Senator McCarthy spoke about two different events. I was at the ITBA event myself. It was wonderful to see small horse breeders being recognised in such a positive way. It was an incredible night. It was great to see Joe Osborne, one of the very well-known Osborne family, getting an accolade for his contribution to the industry. He is still a young man. He is certainly not retired. I know he will go on to wonderful things within the equestrian world. He is also an alumnus of Newbridge College, where my own father and brothers went to school. It is a terrific school and it is great to see the alumni working together in a positive way.

Senator Cosgrove also spoke about Ursuline College Sligo. I got a chance to say hello to them briefly while I was waiting for this. It is awful to hear they have been waiting 11 years. The Senator noted that the planning permission will be running out soon. We certainly would hope that the Minister, when she receives the petition, will listen and ensure that is addressed. The Senator might table a Commencement matter on the subject over the coming weeks.

Senator Tully spoke about the importance of family resource centres. She mentioned three, in Cavan, Killashandra and Monaghan. Any of us who works with family resource centres know the excellent work they do, particularly for people who have challenges in their lives. The Senator is looking for capital funding, particularly for the one in Cavan. I recommend that she table a Commencement matter in relation to that. Four new family resource centres were set up last year and they got capital funding, and I understand there are going to be more this year. The centre in Cavan may well be one of the lucky ones, we would hope.

Senator Conway spoke about the fact that the Minister, Deputy Browne, has ensured that the derelict sites levy will be collected by Revenue instead of by the local authorities. Local authorities are missing out on that revenue coming in, as the Senator rightly pointed out, in terms of that 7%. He mentioned a hotel in Tramore that has been derelict for 12 years. It is shocking to see these buildings. There are lost opportunities for so many. It is good to see this move being made, however, and we certainly hope it will make a difference.

Senator Cathal Byrne has just come in, slightly too late for the Order of Business, but I just want to say I heard him and the Minister, Deputy Browne, on the 1 o'clock news earlier. As he knows, I have family in Enniscorthy as well. It is just shocking what has developed with the Slaney bursting. As he said himself, it is everybody's worst dreams come true. He has raised it here a number of times. A total of €55 million is being kept to bring in the alleviation scheme. I am thinking of everybody in Enniscorthy. We hope that second bridge will be built soon. We hope that, between the council, environmental agencies and the Government, we will see progress because it is needed badly.