The Order of Business is No. 1, Mental Health Bill 2024 - Report and Final Stages, to be taken at 11.45 a.m. and the proceedings thereon shall be brought to a conclusion at 3.45 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 Government.

As convener of the Irish-Hungarian Parliamentary Friendship Group I congratulate the Hungarian people on their recent democratic election. It is really heartening to see democracy in action in the way we did in Hungary last weekend. I congratulate Péter Magyar - and apologise if I have mispronounced his name - the Tisza Party, but most importantly the Hungarian people. I thank the outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Administration and all those who served under him for a peaceful transition. It is really important to not just gloss over what is transpiring. It is an end of 16 years of Viktor Orbán's leadership in Hungary and the beginning of a new leadership. I wish the new leader well. I wish the Hungarian people well. I look forward to convening the Irish-Hungarian Parliamentary Friendship Group and invite all Members to join if they wish. I also look forward to really constructive contributions from the new Hungarian Government in our European Union. I hope it will work with other member states to make our Union stronger, freer and more democratic for all.

I want to give a huge shout-out to everybody who has been involved in the Five Lamps Arts Festival in Dublin city. It is just such a fantastic festival. It has all sorts of creative events and the talent on show includes everything from the spoken word to poetry, artists, drama, music - you name it. It is all taking place in Dublin city. It will conclude on 19 April so there are still a few days to go. I encourage everybody to support all the artists, creators and producers who have come together and entertained, illuminated and animated the city over the last few days. Well done to all involved.

I draw Members' attention to the second paragraph from a letter sent by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Heydon, to Waterford City and County Council. It states:

The Department strongly condemns the mistreatment of any animal and takes the matter of animal welfare most seriously. Neglect of or causing unnecessary suffering to animals is not acceptable in our society.

Bearing that in mind, despite the ongoing conflict in the region, large volumes of Irish cattle are still being exported to Israel both directly from Ireland and from other member states of the EU. Since October 2023 almost 9,000 young bulls or weanlings have been shipped directly to Haifa from Greenore. In addition, an unknown number have been seen arriving there just recently in shipments from Croatia, Slovenia and EU states. Irish cattle can easily, of course, be identified by their ear tags. Not only do these animals have to contend with a long sea journey where they suffer from respiratory illness, ringworm, corneal ulcers, leg injuries, diarrhoea and varying degrees of heat stress but also they are arriving in the middle of a war zone. Sources at Haifa Port have informed us that every day barrages of rockets fall onto the port and surrounding areas where the quarantine centres and fattening farms are. It is beyond belief that any competent authority is still authorising shipments of this nature in the knowledge the animals are being put at considerable risk. Furthermore, the workers at the port fear for their lives and want to complete the unloading quickly. It is said the pressure is causing them to be more impatient than usual with the animals and electric prods are being widely used to get the cattle off the ships as quickly as possible. It is clear that sending animals to Israel at the moment is sending them into extreme danger. Nowhere is safe. Much the same is happening in Lebanon.

We really need a comprehensive debate in this House on animal welfare to include the export of live animals, the conditions on puppy farms, the use of sulkies on the roads and a whole panoply of issues we need to address. A good debate in the House would clear the air and maybe underscore some of the nastier things that are happening because all of them need to be highlighted.

I concur with Senator Conway. It is objectionable that we are sending live cattle to Israel. We should not be trading with Israel in addition to the animal welfare issues.

I raise the matter of the Irish Glass Bottle site. There was a commitment to put 350 new public homes on that site. There are 550 affordable ones. The Irish Glass Bottle Housing Action Group has been fighting with the State for the last nine years. It has gone through four Ministers for housing. Deputy Browne is the current Minister and the group representatives have been looking to meet him but he has refused to date. I find it amazing the new Government housing policy is entitled Delivering Homes, Building Communities. The policy is not delivering homes for families living in the communities of Ringsend, Pearse Street and Kevin Street. Government is not building communities but dividing them. Due to the cost of new homes being built on the Irish Glass Bottle site and around the city families cannot live there so communities are being split up and people are having to move further afield. I ask that the Minister meet the Irish Glass Bottle Housing Action Group. Like I said, the group has been through four Ministers for housing in its time.

The Government talks about building communities but the Minister for housing, Deputy Browne, has also refused to meet the residents in Pearse House, even though he pulled a regeneration plan which is desperately needed. He has put in a new deep retrofitting plan, which is effectively a lick of paint and some maintenance work, which is of course welcome, but it is not what the residents in Pearse House desperately need. I ask that the Minister meet with Pearse House residents and the Irish Glass Bottle Housing Action Group to ensure their voices are heard too. Residents in Ringsend and Pearse Street have been let down by the State for long enough and the least the Minister could do is show respect to the residents in Pearse House and the inner-city communities in Ringsend by meeting with them and ensure their issues are highlighted and worked through. The homes in Ringsend are not going to be affordable purchase, they will be affordable rental. The cost of that rental is going to be exorbitant and the local community will not be able to afford to live there. The communities will then be divided and people will have to move out, and that is very unfair and disrespectful to any community.

This week and over the weekend, I was in Hungary observing and monitoring the elections, and looking back home at the fuel protests here in Ireland, I was thinking about change and how change happens. Protest, by its nature, is meant to be disruptive. If it is not disruptive, it risks becoming little more than State-sanctioned gatherings. Real protest unsettles things. It draws attention and forces people to look. At its most powerful, it directs that pressure upwards toward the State and its institutions rather than downward at those who are already struggling.

I was thinking about two books this week, both with the term "the dispossessed" in the title. The first is by Ursula Le Guin, who writes about people with empty hands, who own nothing and therefore have nothing to lose, and how there is a kind of freedom in that, a freedom to imagine change and to challenge what exists. There are also huge limits to that, but it is a worthwhile concept to think about. The second is by Christopher Galloway, who reminds us that, in the real world, the people with the least often feel the most constrained and it is hard to organise when you are stretched just trying to get by. It is hard to be heard when you are invisible. The working class, including all those who live side by side in communities, are constrained by daily survival.

That is why the protests in Dublin have stayed with me. People are under real pressure but they also have something others do not: they have visibility, they have organisation and they can disrupt in a way that gets noticed. What stood out to me was the response. Ordinary people were showing up and standing alongside roads, supporting farmers, hauliers and truckers. There was a sense of shared frustration but also a shared recognition. That recognition should be built on and should be reciprocal from those who stood there back towards those who have less.

It made me think about where real power lies, and moments like this can be more than reaction. They can be a starting point where people begin to connect their experiences of the cost of living, housing, homelessness and insecure work and begin to see these are not separate issues but are part of the same system. If that energy is organised, it does not have to stop at protest. It can move into something more lasting. Protest, disruption and solidarity matter, but what matters most is what we do in the moment after, whether we let it pass or build on it.

To opt out is to hand over legitimate desire for change to somebody else. Empty hands on their own are not enough, but when people come together and stand side by side to use both their voice and their vote, they can become something much more powerful. Governments respond to concentrations of voters because that threatens their power or position and how they can make decisions.

Before I call on the next speaker, I welcome St. Michael's National School from Castlepollard in Westmeath to Seanad Éireann. They are guests of the Minister, Deputy Burke. As is the tradition in Seanad Éireann when we have a visiting school, there is no homework for the rest of the week.

I welcome the students and their teachers to the Chamber. I hope they have a very enjoyable day and I am delighted the Cathaoirleach gave homework off for this week.

This morning, I welcome the brilliant news and announcement by Boston Scientific of the €75 million investment in research and development expansion in Galway city yesterday. It is fantastic news for Galway and for the west that, at a time of global uncertainty, Boston Scientific is once again investing in Galway and Ireland. As Members will be aware, the company has three bases in Ireland - Galway, Clonmel and Cork - employing over 7,000 people, with over 4,500 of those based in Galway. It is a hugely significant employer for our city and region. Of course, there is also a significant indirect impact for local businesses supplying its bases, which is a huge boost for SMEs across Galway and no doubt in Clonmel and Cork. Boston Scientific has been in Ireland for over 30 years and manufactures over 30 million devices here each year for patents worldwide. This latest investment follows significant investments in recent years, including €100 million in expanding Galway's manufacturing capacity in 2022 and another €80 million at the Clonmel plant in 2023. These investments reflect significant confidence from Boston Scientific in the talent available in Ireland, which is very welcome. From a Galway perspective, it has been known as a great employer for decades and people I have spoken to over the years who work or have worked there have very positive opinions on Boston Scientific itself. With a workforce of over 4,500, it is hugely significant for our city and region. It has gone from strength to strength in recent decades, and long may that continue.

Much has been said in this House about the fuel protest, but today, I want to briefly reflect on both the protests themselves and the response to them. The deployment of our Defence Forces raises serious and worrying questions that remain unanswered. Why did the Minister for justice, Deputy O'Callaghan, deploy the Defence Forces? Was the Minister for Defence, Deputy McEntee, consulted? Where was the principle of proportionality in that response? Are there no standard operating procedures to ensure that extraordinary measures are used only when absolutely necessary? We must also ask what damage this decision has done to the reputation of our State, not only at home but internationally.

I also want to address the comments made in this Chamber suggesting protestors should be dismissed or condemned by association with the vague and ever-expanding label of the so-called far right and that this label is justified simply because people wave our national flag. These are words that poison the public debate in our country. Too often, people are branded far right not to describe them but to silence them, to delegitimise grievances without engaging with them. Those who casually use this label would do better to educate themselves on what far-right ideology genuinely is before throwing the term around so recklessly.

As for our Tricolour, it belongs to all Irish people. It has been flown by every shade of opinion and every kind of group, by extremist paramilitary, our State forces, the left and the right and even by sports fans. Never at any point in our history have we surrendered it to any one group, nor will we. Our national flag is a symbol of both our uniqueness and our unity. It was not flown by our founders for it to belong to anyone special with approved opinions or credentials. It belongs to every Irish man and woman of every creed and colour and every opinion, whether we like it or not. The Chairperson and Leader know this more than anybody. I thank them for the work they have done over the years regarding our flag and Tricolour.

I rise to raise the important issue of funding for local authorities' cleansing departments. Throughout the course of my duties, I am in contact with our councillor colleagues around the country and I am also out on the doors in Limerick weekly meeting people. One of the more frequent requests I get is for a new bin or for a road to be swept or general concerns expressed to me about rubbish, including disposable vapes, which have recently been found around people's otherwise lovely estates. I am in regular contact with my cleansing department in Limerick City and County Council, which has a team of 36 and does an excellent job. However, we feel in Limerick that greater resources should be allocated from national government to cleansing departments in local authorities around the country to support them in the important work they do. The environment in which we live in is very important to all of us. It supports our mental health and ensures that the hard work that people are doing within their homes and within their lives to try to raise their families, do the best they can and live their best lives is also reflected in the good work that is been done on their behalf in the local authorities right around the country I would like to invite in the Minister of State, Deputy John Cummins, for a discussion on funding specifically for cleansing departments in local authorities around the country. I note that while funding has not remained static but has seen some increases in recent years, it has not kept pace with inflation and so, unfortunately, local authorities are left with less buying power with similar resources. I believe that there is cause for an increase in resources - human resources and operational expenses - and then a capital investment into local authority cleansing departments around the country.

We had protests all last week around the country for fuel. Waking up yesterday morning, a lot of these protesters were receiving fixed penalty notices and fines in the post. My office has been inundated with phone calls and messages about the stress and mental health strain they are forced to put up with. They protested because they could not afford to keep their businesses running and now they are being handed fixed penalty notices with fines from An Garda Síochána. It is another slap in the face. These protesters told me that yes, they could walk to Leinster House and they could walk the streets. Nobody listens to people who do that. We had hunger strikers outside the Dáil for weeks on end and they were not listened to. We have had SNAs outside who were not listened to. The protesters felt that the only way they could be heard was to disrupt. As Senator Ruane said, protest is disruption. They are now being hit with these penalties on a day where the Mental Health Bill is coming before us.

This Bill is going to be guillotined. There are over 300 amendments and the Bill is going to be stopped today. Our job in here is to make sure that the Bills that come through are scrutinised and come out of this place as good as we can make them so they do not have to come back in with more amendments to them. It is disgraceful to guillotine a Bill of this importance at this time when so many people are under so much stress. We need to extend the time for the Mental Health Bill and I will be opposing the Order of Business for that reason.

When I first came into the Seanad in July 2020, I remember the Cathaoirleach presented to me with a lovely Irish flag. It is identical to the one behind him. Of course I am proud to be Irish. First and foremost, my identity is Irish Traveller. In this House, two days ago, I spoke about the shame I felt about how our flag has been used to create hatred and division and to terrify people with old folks afraid to live in their homes due to the far right. I am speaking out against the far right because it is not attacking me for the comment that I made on Tuesday saying that the vote of no confidence was a waste of everybody's time, that it was not going to happen and the Government had the majority. It is attacking me online because I am a woman and a member of the Traveller community, end of story. I have to go to An Garda Síochána today with about 15 messages of hate in my inbox - being called a knacker, being attacked because of my image and being attacked because of my using this platform to bring people together. I stand underneath the Irish flag of freedom, peace, diversity and equality. I will not stand underneath the flag Senator Keogan is talking about - the flag that stands for hatred, discrimination and division in this country. That is not the Ireland I stand in so I am sending a clear message today. While today it is me who is being attacked, it could be someone else tomorrow as a public representative. I am attacked because of my identity. I am attacked because I am a Traveller woman. I stand with migrants and LGBTQI+ people. I stand for justice and equality. I do not and will not stand for injustice, hatred, discrimination and pure hate in this country. I do not and will not stand for that.

A recent report has shown that a 1,000-litre tank of oil now costs €1,700 to fill. That is almost double the price of €900 in February and that is the highest on record. Older people and those on the State pension in particular, who are on €288 per a week, cannot afford to absorb that kind of rising cost. The fuel protests were not just about fuel. They were a cry for help from the Irish taxpayers who are tired of seeing their hard-earned money handed over, only to be squandered while they struggle to stay afloat.

What did the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage choose to do in the midst of the cost-of-living crisis, while people were struggling to pay for fuel and groceries? He went to the High Court to get an injunction against people cutting turf in Galway. This has had a horrific impact on the local people who relied on that turf as their main source of heating. They are the people who did not accept the once-off payment to allow rewetting because they would not walk away from their right to cut turf. The Government has said that these schemes are voluntary but families are being forcibly stopped from using turf. This country is importing peat from Egypt while telling Irish families that they cannot access the land they have used for generations. It is an absolute scandal that a Minister would seek this injunction knowing the harm it would do to families and that it would cut off their access to fuel. Most of them are elderly people. One in seven homes are in arrears with energy bills. Families have contacted me who are in dire situations and who rely on charities to buy groceries. I cannot tell them to get on the SEAI website and apply for solar panels when they cannot even afford milk and butter. The disconnect is huge. I ask the Minister for housing to reverse his decision and recognise that for many people, turf is their only option when it comes to heating their homes.

I will speak for a moment about the upcoming sports capital grant allocation. It is very important that this is a large allocation put forward by the Department and the Minister of State with responsibility for sport, particularly in the context of more public participation than ever before in our games across GAA, soccer, rugby and hurling but also those games that do not receive the same amount of attention. I call on the Minister of State to come into this Chamber to give an update on the forthcoming sports capital grant. Perhaps later we would have statements on the sports capital grant. One key thing for me is that the last allocation supported grants of up to €200,000 for individual sports clubs but given that we have a high rate of inflation and cost of construction at the moment, I call for that rate to be increased to perhaps as high as €300,000 to maximise the opportunities for various clubs right across the country to be able to access that funding. The last round of funding was very supportive in increasing the allocation for clubs that strove to increase both male and female participation. It is very important that as we look forward towards 2030, 2040 and 2050, particularly in the GAA context where we are going to have integration across the three associations, that yet again there is an extra allocation of marks and funding for organisations and clubs that demonstrate a clear increase in female participation in sports.

I stand in solidarity with Senator Flynn following her contribution this morning. The messages of hate she received are despicable. I sincerely hope An Garda Síochána deals with it expeditiously and brings these people to book for what they are doing. Her sentiments regarding the flag are very well articulated. It is incumbent on all of us to stand in solidarity with her at this time.

I was very pleased, as others have articulated including the Deputy Leader, with the result of the election in Hungary. The new Prime Minister, Péter Magyar, is a breath of fresh air. That election has shone a light on how most people in eastern Europe are European and are committed to the European project. That result defines Hungary as an absolute full member of the European Union in every sense of the word. European cohesion will benefit as a result.

Last week I, as convener of the Moldovan parliamentary friendship group. along with the Leas-Chathaoirleach, was delighted to welcome President Sandu of Moldova to Leinster House for a meeting with the friendship group. It is most unusual to have a Head of State visit Leinster House itself. Most of the time they would come to Government Buildings and then move on to Áras an Uachtaráin and do all that very important work. However, I was delighted that, working with the ambassador, we were able to have President Sandu here for a very fruitful engagement. I wish to thank the Members of both Houses who were here on a non-sitting week for what was a very important meeting. When we take over the Presidency of the EU in July I sincerely hope the Government follows on in its commitment to support the Moldovans' ambition to become a full member of the European Union.

I rise today to speak about the proposed CAP reform. This is the most significant reform since the MacSharry reform. As the Deputy Leader is aware, Pillar 1 delivers an average of €260 per hectare. It is essential that this level of funding continues. A lot of farmers in good faith entered schemes such as ACRES and organics. They are just two examples of schemes that farmers have committed to. It is very important that the existing funding of Pillar 1 continues but also Pillar 2. At the moment it looks like there will be inadequate funding to fund both pillars but it is essential that both pillars are funded. I know there is a big job of work to be done. I would like the Minister, Deputy Heydon, to come in to talk perhaps about agriculture in general but certainly to talk about where he thinks these CAP negotiations are going.

I would like to point out that at present, our prison systems are operating well above capacity at a national average of 125%. I have mentioned in this House before about the female prisons in Limerick and Mountjoy being over 150% capacity. Many people are entering custody there for short sentences that are often less than 12 months. The evidence shows this approach is not delivering strong outcomes and often there is a 45% re-offending rate. Nearly half of the people re-offend within one year. It is showing continued pressure, not just on the justice system but in respect of health, housing and community.

Today in the audiovisual room we have Release, which is an Irish charity that is working with people who are in custody and in the community. It is focusing on helping people with shorter sentences to take responsibility for their actions and understand the harm caused but then to rebuild through a restorative justice approach. It is working with an organisation called RESCALED, which is a European initiative promoting small, community-based detention houses. They are structured with supervised environments. They are designed for people who would otherwise receive short custodial sentences. The key point here is that this has worked across Europe and is showing strong results in reducing re-offending.

The proposal Release is putting forward today is to explore how this model could work in Ireland. Its CEO, Jay Bobinac, is downstairs and he is saying that if we recognise community detention as a credible option, then supporting a small pilot and evaluating its outcomes can make a difference. It is not about replacing the prison system; it is about improving it by using the right responses for the right case. If we are serious about reducing re-offending and building safer communities, then it is reasonable we should examine such approaches that are working elsewhere and consider how they would fit within our prison system.

I want to talk today about something that has come up here a couple of times in relation to swimming, swimming pools and swimming lessons for our young people. Swim Ireland recently launched a report about the provision of swimming pools in Ireland. This is something I know Swim Ireland has been working on for a good few years. It has done an inventory and looked at the provision of swimming pools in Ireland.

Unfortunately, at the moment there is one swimming pool for every 81,000 people in Ireland compared to, say, Scotland where there is one swimming pool for every 14,000 people. When we talk about investment in sport we often fall into the trap of talking about the big three or the team sports. However, lifelong activity and lifelong sport really happens in the likes of cycling, swimming and walking. It is time to have a discussion about ring-fenced funding for swimming pools.

There used to be a local authority fund for swimming pools. Swim Ireland is calling for that to be reintroduced. That is a good idea. Of our swimming pools, 57% are actually in hotels. Obviously that causes trouble in lots of different ways. Obviously for hotel guests but also from a health and safety point of view or a child-safeguarding point of view as when having swimming lessons in hotels, you cannot really control who is in the hotel and who is in the vicinity of the swimming pool.

It is time for a debate on the issue and perhaps ring-fenced funding in the sports capital funding allocations, for example, for swimming and for swimming pools. It is certainly something that Swim Ireland would welcome I imagine. One more statistic I wanted to share is 25% of our pools were actually built before 1990. We are looking at a lot of them that are dilapidated. There is one across the road from my house and it is an eyesore. I think it is council owned and it is just sitting there. Even if we were to reinvest in the existing swimming pools that would make a huge difference. There is a great initiative over in the Seán MacDermott Street swimming pool, where they are bringing children in from the local area for free swimming lessons. That is driven by increased Government funding but we need to look at even more.

For those listening in here, as opposed to those who are in this Chamber, what we are doing today now is considering the Order of Business. That is our function here under our Standing Orders and under the regulations and precedents that govern the conduct of Seanad Éireann. Today we have one proposal under the Order of Business and that is submitted by the Leader's office, which is No. 1, the Mental Health Bill 2024, Report and Final Stages. So people outside who are tuning in, this proposal is that this Bill will be taken at 11.45 a.m. and the proceedings thereon shall be brought to a conclusion at 3.45 p.m. by the putting of one motion from the Chair which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by Government. That is the only Order of Business today and that is all I am going to speak on.

I do not need to remind everyone that there are 234 amendments on this legislation so we have a lot of work to do. I and a number of members of the Opposition did meet this morning and considered putting down an amendment to the Order of Business but we were pragmatic and we are pragmatists. We believe that it would unfortunately tap into our time in the Seanad today, given it is a limited amount of time.

I hope the Deputy Leader will take that in the spirit that it was meant. We were not going to hold up the House. We were not going to cut into the time of the House because we want to get directly to the important amendments that affect people's mental health in this country. I want to assure the Leader that there will be co-operation from those who I have spoken to on this side of the House.

We will attempt to do our business professionally, but with respect. We can all hold back on repeating ourselves on all sides of the House and that includes on the Government side as well. I hope the debate will go well. We should endeavour to buckle down and make a decision. At this stage we have debated most of the issues, so let us get to the important point and put the votes on the record of the House. I hope the debate will go well and I genuinely mean that. Let us try to do our business speedily. I have to put on the record that the guillotine is disappointing but I am moving on. Let us glance back and look forward. There will be other days and other opportunities to reform parliamentary democracy. It is a sad day and an affront to parliamentary democracy that we had a guillotine in the Dáil last night and now here in this House. We cannot continue. I will finish on this point because it relates to some of the Members of the Deputy Leader's Party. During the past 24 hours we have seen people step up to the plate and talk about their frustration with the parliamentary process, be they Independent or within the parties. It is a wake-up call for all Members of the Oireachtas. We need to do our business in a better way, in a more respectful way, and stop guillotining debates the public deserve to hear.

Last week, while I was using public transport, a train I was travelling on between Dublin and Roscommon had a small fire on board and had to stop. Too often we come in here and talk about a service not having done its job, but I want to compliment Irish Rail, the fire service, An Garda Síochána and our ambulance service on their quick response. They came to a remote part of east Roscommon where the train had to stop. We all had to disembark from the train and were transported to the nearest train station but it was reassuring to know that if the incident had been an awful lot worse, the resources and plan would have been in place to address it in a timely and reassuring way.

On a related note, I had a meeting with some representatives of the ambulance service over the Easter break. I would like a further debate in this Chamber on the ambulance service because there is a disparity with the dynamic distribution model of the ambulance service, specifically for counties that do not have emergency departments, such as Monaghan, Carlow, Laois, Leitrim and Roscommon, to name but a few. Ambulance calls are assigned to ambulances rather than ambulance bases and we are leaving a certain cohort of our society at a slight disadvantage when ambulances are called to emergency departments or are dropping people off to emergency departments. People in those counties are left with reduced numbers of units serving their communities when situations like that arise. I would welcome a debate on that matter.

Very similarly, in relation to public transport and improving services for commuters in County Mayo, I would like to raise an issue that has been highlighted to me on many occasions. In my role on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport, I have been advocating for a shelter at the Manulla Junction platform. For those who may not be familiar with it, in County Mayo there are two train lines, one originating in Ballina and the other beginning in Westport. They meet at Manulla Junction, which has no road or vehicular access. Over the past number of years as a public representative, I have been passionate about campaigning for improved connectivity between Mayo and Dublin. We were successful in achieving the early-morning rail service, which has gone from strength to strength since it was introduced a number of years ago, and it connects a whole cohort of people in north Mayo.

A constituent contacted me a number of days ago to explain how, when the Westport line stops and lets passengers off for the Foxford and Ballina line, all the passengers are left out on the platform and in inclement weather, especially at this time of year, all of the passengers are soaking wet by the time they get onto the next carriage because they have to wait for the other train to come. It is a very small and basic ask. The answer I received from Irish Rail was that the passengers can stay on the first train because it will not leave before the next one goes, but try telling that to people who are afraid they will miss the connecting train and that the train will take off before they leave. Generally, human nature is to get off the train and be ready so you do not get stuck on a train going in the other direction. I ask that we have a discussion on rail infrastructure with the Minister for Transport to improve shelters, whether they be at bus stops in areas where they are needed or on platforms like the Manulla Junction, in order to improve the public transport experience for all routes. I would appreciate if we could consider having that debate.

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

I thank all 18 Senators who contributed to the Order of Business this morning. We started with Senator Fitzpatrick, who is convenor of the Irish-Hungarian Parliamentary Party Friendship Group and spoke about the elections in Hungary over the weekend, where we definitely saw democracy in action. We absolutely welcome the election of a pro-European Prime Minister who is progressive and forward looking. In terms of how Europe deals not just with Russia but with America as well, it is a very welcome result. Senator Fitzpatrick also made the very valid point that we need to thank Viktor Orbán for agreeing to a peaceful transition. That is important. I know many of us would never have agreed with Viktor Orbán's views or the views of his Fidesz party but it is important to acknowledge that a peaceful transition will happen there.

Senator Martin Conway also spoke about the election, welcoming the results, and we know Senator Ruane was there as an election observer.

Senator Fitzpatrick also spoke about the Five Lamps Arts Festival taking place until next Sunday, praising the creativity of the artists and the artisan creators and producers involved.

Senator Joe Conway spoke about the neglect of animals and his concern about live animal exports, not just around the live cattle themselves but the stress that workers at ports feel. It is fair to say live exports remain a vital competent of the livestock industry here and the programme for Government supports maintaining live exports as long as strict animal welfare and transport regulations are met. Having and ensuring strict animal welfare regulations is key. I take on board what Senator Conway is saying. We need to ensure that it is monitored and the regulations are kept to. Most definitely, the broader Government policy continues to treat live exports as a legitimate part of Ireland's livestock sector. We will have the Minister for agriculture coming to the House next week; I think it is next Tuesday. It will mainly be to debate the agri-supports that have been announced but there probably will be the opportunity to raise issues like this. I agree that we have to be very strong on animal welfare.

Senator Andrews spoke about the Irish Glass Bottle site and Pearse House. He said the Minister for housing has not met representatives of either site and has had repeated requests for same. To be fair, the Minister for housing has a huge portfolio and whoever were in that position would not have the opportunity to meet everybody who wished to meet him or her. We have to absolutely acknowledge that. There is also a Minister of State in that Department so if Senator Andrews has specific questions, particularly around Pearse House, he should submit a Commencement matter on that.

Senator Ruane spoke about being in Hungary after the elections and looking back at the protests over here and made the point that protests are designed to be disruptive. Protests are legitimate and hauliers, farmers and agri contractors had a very legitimate protest last week. As I said here yesterday, a lot of good, decent people we all know supported them in that.

The right to protest is something that is held very dear. People have a constitutional right to do that but they do not have a right to blockade. We saw so many situations over the few days of the blockade where people were prevented from getting to hospital for really vital, life-saving treatment. People were prevented from getting to work, getting supplies and getting fuel to be able to travel to care for those who are older and vulnerable in their own homes. That is wrong. That is not something in the spirit of trying to do the right thing. Certainly, attention was drawn to the cause. We all accept there was need to bring in more supports and thankfully the Government has done that. It is a very difficult time. However, if we are talking about legitimate protest and blockades, many of those should have been around the American Embassy and I did not see any around there because, after all, a lot of this is because of Trump’s war on Iran.

Senator Ollie Crowe spoke about a good news story – and it is always good to get a good news story in this House – about a €75 million investment in Boston Scientific in Galway, Clonmel and Cork. This is a huge boost for all the SMEs in those three areas. Boston Scientific has been in Galway alone for 30 years and manufactures about 30 million devices every year. It is a vote of confidence in Ireland and particularly in our young people. It is great to see so many of our young people here now and to know there are opportunities like this where foreign direct investment as well as indigenous employers are giving opportunities because they recognise that the education in Ireland is second to none and our workers are keen to work and learn. It is important that they be supported. It is really is good. There are 4,500 people working in the Galway plant at the moment. It is great to see it going from strength to strength.

Senator Keogan spoke about the fuel protests and mentioned the deployment of the Defence Forces. It has been very clear and articulated so many times since but I will say it here again that there was never a question of Defence Forces personnel being deployed. It was always about the Defence Forces equipment that would be needed to ensure that some of the very heavy trucks that were blocking access to fuel and to Foynes Port could be moved. That has been clarified a number of times. There was never a question of soldiers being out on our streets.

Senator Keogan also spoke about the Tricolour. I want to acknowledge the Cathaoirleach of the Seanad has done a lot of work on this and has issued booklets on how we should respect, honour and fly our flag. That is the important element.

Senator Flynn gave a very passionate response and I stand with her in what she said on how our Irish flag stands for diversity, equality and unity and should never be used as a weapon of oppression and hatred. Unfortunately, all too often, we see it being used as that. I really respect what she said.

Senator Dee Ryan spoke about funding for local authorities cleansing departments and looking for road sweeping and new bins. It is a new one on me; it is not what we call that department in Kildare but it is a good way of naming it. We all have concerns about rubbish and fly-tipping as well as vapes and the laughing gas canisters we see. There seems to be no safe way of disposing of those. It is an issue. There are great Tidy Towns groups in all our communities, villages and towns who do a brilliant job - it was wonderful to see photographs of the awards they were getting yesterday or the day before – and it must be very disheartening for them when they see very bad personal behaviour by those who do not care for the community in which they live or are visiting. A lot of this is down to personal behaviour but we have to make sure our local authorities have the adequate financing and resourcing to ensure the hard work is done around collecting rubbish, etc., but also to support the groups of volunteers, the unsung heroes, who are involved in Tidy Towns all the time.

Senator Collins spoke about the protestors getting fixed penalty fines. Gardaí did a really good job and I want to thank them for their engagement and ensuring that finally we did have a end to the blockade particularly in the city centre.

The Senator also raised the Mental Health Bill as did Senator McCarthy. It is fair to say the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, has given 18 and a half hours to the debate and is giving almost four hours more today. We were to have two hours on Tuesday but regrettably, with the activities in the Dáil, that did not happen. The Senator signalled that she may call for a vote on the Order of Business.

Senator Flynn spoke about the hatred she has received in relation to what she said on the motion of no confidence in the Government. She said she has been targeted as a woman and as a member of the Traveller community. She is also targeted because she is a public representative and there is not one person in this House who has not received that type of vile language and hatred. I stand with Senator Flynn – I know we all do – on this. We all have to support one another on this. I am glad she is going to the Garda. I have gone to the Garda myself on occasion because it is important that we put it on record where this happens with these individuals. We have seen horrific results across the water in the UK as well as around Europe and the world where public representatives have been in horrific situations with fatal consequences. We have to support one another in this always.

Senator O’Reilly spoke about the price of kerosene and how hauliers and farmers were looked after in the recent Government announcements. It is not fair to say that just hauliers and farmers were looked after. The price of diesel and petrol for everybody has come down significantly. Ensuring farmers and hauliers can operate means we have security of food supply. Hauliers have been in a very difficult situation for some time. Genuinely, we would not have food or other supplies on our shelves if the Government did not step in and help them as well as stepping in for the farmers and agri-contractors who grow that food. We need to do everything we can to support the agrifood industry. It is really important.

The Senator also spoke about the peat situation. I am very familiar with it coming from Kildare. A number of us, and Senator Boyhan was very active in that, tried to do quite a bit to help those in the horticultural sector on peat. Sadly we did not succeed. It is an ongoing issue. It is also a cultural issue for our country but European regulations have to be respected. Re-wetting is important and we need to support that.

Senator Cathal Byrne spoke about the upcoming sports capital grants and looked for a debate in this House. We will look for that debate. We expect the grants will be open in summer. He is right on that because costs have gone up we should look for a higher percentage.

Having said that, we are very conscious that we do not know how long this war will go on. If it stopped tomorrow, the impacts would be felt for at least six months on fuel prices and other elements of it. I hope the Government is in a position to be able to escalate the sports awards but we will have to have a wait-and-see approach. Female participation was mentioned. When Deputy Thomas Byrne was Minister of State, he put in very strong recommendations - really more than recommendations. We saw the FAI being called to heel when it was not implementing these. I have no doubt that the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, will continue that.

Senator Conway spoke about welcoming the President of Moldova to Leinster House last week. I had intended making it, but because of traffic on the day I did not get here. It was good to see her. Obviously, Ireland is supporting the accession of Moldova to the EU.

Senator Murphy O'Mahony spoke about CAP reform. It is welcome that Mr. Barry Cowen, MEP, is one of the key negotiators on CAP and held a very important meeting in Mullingar last week in relation to it. The Senator is right in saying that it is absolutely essential to keep the current level at this point. There are concerns because we know funding has gone down 20% between tier 1 and tier 2. The Minister, Deputy Heydon, will be here next Tuesday, I think, so there will be an opportunity to raise that.

Senator McCarthy spoke about the 50% of people who go to jail who reoffend. It is very clear we need to do something. Jay Bobinac and Senator McCarthy had a briefing in the audiovisual room. I regret I could not attend it because I have no doubt it was a very interesting one. It is absolutely something we need to look at. The Senator asked that we look for support for a small pilot scheme and evaluate it. That is very worthwhile and is something we will bring to the Minister for justice. We have to be serious about reducing reoffending.

Senator Ní Chuilinn spoke about Swim Ireland and the fact there is only one swimming pool for every 81,000 people, 57% of which are in hotels. She raised a very valid point. In August 2024, the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, launched Ireland's first ever national swim plan dedicated to ensuring everybody in Ireland has the opportunity to swim, with a strong focus on access, inclusion, facilities and long-term athlete development. It is a very ambitious plan and has great vision. We have not seen enough action on it yet. We are only a year and a half into it. We will request a debate on this.

I thank Senator Boyhan for his pragmatism, which he clearly outlined. We spoke about this yesterday. I acknowledge that the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, has spent 18 and a half hours on this, which is a record for any Minister in terms of their own area. I hope we will get to the business and do a lot of business. A lot of the amendments are very technical in nature or are just replacing words, etc. I requested that document be circulated in order that we could look at it.

Senator Scahill spoke about an incident, a small fire, on a train he was on last week. I am really glad it did not get any bigger. I completely understand the sense of panic there might be when you are sitting on a train and you realise something like that has happened. I echo his gratitude to Irish Rail, the fire services, An Garda Síochána and the ambulance services. As he said, it is a relief to know that all of these are in place and that there is a rapid response. It is really important. He also made the point that some of the ambulance personnel raised concerns about how a number of counties are not getting the full service. Again, it comes down to that geographical disparity which should not be there. We will request a debate with the Minister for Health on that.

Senator Duffy spoke about the need for a shelter at Manulla Junction where two trains meet. He is right to look for it. I read an article recently where it was said that Irish Rail is getting €15 million - I will not say per year but it got it last year - in parking fines and about €0.5 million in clamping. I raised this during the week and said that this money should be put into facilities at train stations. It should be put into extra parking where it is needed and toilets at our main stations. It should absolutely be used to do exactly that at Manulla Junction. We have a good rail structure in our country. Fares have gone down and that was important to see. We are trying to support people and encourage them to use public transport, particularly as the price of fuel goes up, so we have to make it easier for people and look at all these things. I totally support Senator Duffy on this. He had a response from Irish Rail. Sometimes, it is difficult here because we cannot put in direct Commencements when it is Irish Rail but it is something we will approach the Minister for Transport about. That is the end of the Order of Business. I thank everybody.

I welcome the students from Donabate Community College to the Seanad Chamber. They are very welcome and I hope they enjoy their visit to Leinster House today. They are just arriving as we are concluding what we call the Order of Business. It happens on every sitting day in the Chamber. At the beginning, the Leader of the House comes in and sets forth what Senators will be discussing and debating for the day. We then usually have an hour assigned to allow Senators to come into the Chamber to raise any other matter that is of interest and important to them that they would like to see included in any future Order of Business. We have just concluded that and we have had Senators coming in and out for the last hour. We will move on now and conclude the Order of Business.