I welcome both ambassadors to the Chamber. You are very welcome.

The Order of Business is No. 1, statements on bluetongue, to be taken at 4.45 p.m. and to conclude at 5.45 p.m., if not previously concluded, with the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed six minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes, time can be shared and the Minister to be given no less than six minutes to reply to the debate; No. 2, statements on the national volunteering strategy, to be taken at 5.45 p.m. and conclude at 7 p.m., if not previously concluded, 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. 3, Copyright and Related Rights (Amendment) Bill 2025 - Committee Stage, to be taken at 7 p.m. and to adjourn at 9 p.m., if not previously concluded.

I add my voice to the Cathaoirleach's words of support for the people of Ukraine. It is always a pleasure to see and meet H.E. Larysa Gerasko. As the Cathaoirleach said, it is sad that we have to meet her so often and to think we have seen four long years of a war of aggression against a very fine, courageous and resilient people. I am thinking of all of those who are still living in Ukraine, those who have had to leave and, of course, all of those who have chosen to make Ireland their home.

Last week, we saw the Chinese New Year. We are now into the Year of the Horse, which is timely, particularly for County Kildare and all those areas that depend a lot on the horse industry. The Horse Racing Ireland statistics for what the horse means for the Irish economy showed that in 2022, there was €2.46 billion in direct and stimulated economic activity arising from breeding, training, racing, employment, sales and so on, and another €1 billion in relation to the sports horse. That is significant. One of the organisations that are important to the equine industry in Ireland is the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association, ITBA, which celebrates 100 years this year. It is an important organisation that represents the breeding industry. It does great work to ensure that Ireland has one of the best and most successful breeding industries in the world. Cathal Beale is the present chair. I pay tribute to the only two ladies that it has ever had, Eimear Haughey and Cathy Grassick, who have done excellent work. It is important that we acknowledge the 100 years. I have written to the Chair of the new Oireachtas racing committee to say that we should acknowledge that here in Leinster House.

I would also like to raise Ireland's eating disorders awareness week, which is this week. This serves as an important annual reminder of the prevalence of eating disorders, their harms, how they can be detected and how they can be prevented. It is estimated that approximately 1,757 new cases occur in Ireland every year in the ten-to-49 age group. A 2025 study showed that hospital admissions for eating disorders in under-18s had more than doubled in Ireland. They are stark statistics. The average age is between 12 and 25. I would like to see, at some point, a debate on eating disorders in this House, and how we detect, prevent and treat them.

I welcome the ambassadors.

Last week in the Seanad, Fine Gael tabled a motion on road safety. Many of us spoke on it, including me, and it of course had cross-party support. Little did I think that, four days later, a 16-year-old girl, Mia Lily Keogh O'Keeffe, would be tragically killed in my hometown of Navan. As the mother of two young girls, I simply cannot imagine what that family are going through. Mia Lily was struck at a pedestrian crossing on the Slane Road in Navan. It was a hit and run. Her dog, Bowie, was also killed. These deaths are absolutely devastating. Over the weekend, there were seven road deaths across the island of Ireland. Ireland has a road safety strategy aiming to halve road deaths by 2030, and has recently introduced lower speed limits on local and urban roads as part of this, but unless some very serious action is taken now with road safety education and Garda enforcement, we will see more deaths on our roads.

When it comes to education, Lithuania runs a year-long learn to drive programme for high schoolers in collaboration with police and paramedics. Japan utilises kids' driving parks, where children learn traffic rules and receive a licence after a practical course. In Poland and Hungary, kids practise in driving safety parks. In the Netherlands, road safety is a compulsory part of the primary curriculum, often integrated into world orientation subjects. A signature feature there is the national traffic test for seventh and eighth-graders, which includes both a theory exam and a practical cycling test on a preset route.

I commend the Road Safety Authority on helping schools to educate primary and secondary students, but I question whether this is done in every single school. Do our teenagers get real experience of driver and pedestrian safety? I see on the Road Safety Authority's website that it mentions that the junior cycle, which is for ages 12 to 16, on education and road safety was to commence in September 2025. I can only assume it has not because the website has not been updated since.

This cannot be in a few, a handful or some schools; it has to be in every single school in the country. We need to educate everybody about safety on our roads and about the impact when something goes wrong. That girl's family will never get over this and I imagine the family of the young man who knocked her down will never get over this either. No statistic can capture the human cost of these crashes. Each young life lost, like Mia Lily's, is a reminder that preventing road deaths is not just about data. It is about communities feeling safe to walk, cycle and to live without fear.

I congratulate my friend Kairi Künka, the Estonian ambassador, on national Estonia day. I would also like to mark another significant occasion today which is, as the Cathaoirleach mentioned, the fourth anniversary of the Russian illegal and brutal invasion of Ukraine. It was an act of aggression that has caused immense suffering, displacement, hurt and loss of life and it continues to affect the stability of Europe. I want to extend a huge welcome to Larysa Gerasko, the Ukrainian ambassador, to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery. She has done an amazing job in Ireland representing her people. I also welcome visitors to the Public Gallery, many of whom are friends of mine. We have Max Reva who achieved the highest points in his leaving certificate and is now in Trinity College. We have many of my friends from Tiglin as well and other war veterans from Ukraine who have fought in battle there. When we see such resilience, we realise their presence here honours this House. This is not just a theoretical war. It is very real and many of them have lost homes and loved ones and are living in precarious circumstances. They are very welcome here. Ireland welcomes them and stands with them.

Four years on and the resilience of the Ukrainian has absolutely amazed me. It is extraordinary. Their courage in defending their sovereignty, their democracy and their right to live freely has inspired all of us. This House shows unwavering support at this critical time. Last year we welcomed the Ukrainian President and First Lady to this House. The President spoke not only about the military and humanitarian challenges facing Ukraine but also about the importance of international solidarity, democracy and the rule of law. The presence of the President really deepened the relationship between our two peoples.

I want to propose an amendment to the Order of Business, that No. 58(1) on the Order Paper be taken before No. 1, without debate. The motion in question, which was tabled by me and supported by my colleagues in this House, states:

That Seanad Éireann ... reaffirms its support for Ukraine on the fourth anniversary of the Russian Federation’s illegal invasion and calls on the Government to do as much as possible to maximise Ireland’s role in renewing international efforts to secure a just and lasting peace based on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

I thank colleagues from across the House for supporting this motion, which is a call for Ireland to continue playing a constructive role in securing a peace that is just, durable and grounded in respect for Ukraine's territorial integrity. When we remember Pierre Zakrzewski, the first person with a connection to Ireland to be tragically killed in Ukraine while working for Fox News, we realise that despite the hardship and loss, the spirit of Ukraine has not been broken. The ambassador, Larysa was on "Morning Ireland" this morning and she spoke about her parents having to climb up to the 31st floor, without any lifts, without water and without electricity. That is hardship but I believe that peace will come and when it does, the courageous people and those nations who refused to look away will be pleased to see such a peace. Slava Ukraini.

I also welcome the ambassador and our guests from Ukraine and offer them our ongoing solidarity as they continue to suffer aggression from Russia in the invasion of their country. We know all too well in this country the experience of an imperialist neighbouring aggressor and how that feels over many years, decades and, indeed, centuries.

I want to raise the issue of tariffs with the Leader, which obviously has come back into sharp focus with the ruling of the US Supreme Court last week that much of President Trump's planned tariff regime was, in fact, illegal. Unfortunately - or maybe fortunately - it falls to the courts to impose the checks and balances between the Administration and the Congress that should be in place. However, we know that the Trump Administration has had a decades-long obsession with tariffs and the latest tariff announcement which has come has created even more chaos and confusion for businesses around the world. That comes on the back of the huge uncertainty that has been created since last year, further increasing the potential for a global slowdown and deterring businesses from investing.

The previous agreement reached by the EU and the United States was not a good deal. Now, it is obviously clear that it represented a premature surrender to Trump and it has left companies in Ireland and Europe exporting to the US at a disadvantage due to one-sided tariffs. I know that deal continues to progress through the European institutions and a vote at the trade committee has been postponed for the time being. Amidst all of that uncertainty, Ireland needs to redouble its own efforts to diversify and strengthen the domestic economy to reduce our reliance on the US, which is fast becoming a very unreliable trading partner. As the Government navigates its response, I urge both the Government here and the EU to ensure protection for the all-Ireland economy, because we have the added complications of a potentially different tariff regime on each part of the island and they must ensure we accord unique circumstances to our island and across Ireland to ensure that all-island economy is protected.

I ask the Leader to facilitate the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to come into the Chamber to discuss this important matter. This event last week has created further uncertainty and the response to it from the US Administration deepens that uncertainty. It is a very worrying time for business. In the first instance, we will want to know what our own Government here is doing to make sure we reduce our exposure to the damaging effects of tariffs and their disruption to world trade.