I thank the ten Senators who contributed to the Order of Business.

Senator Rabbitte started with some observations and a request in relation to children in care. She referred to a report from the Irish Association of Social Workers about the system being reliant on ad hoc placements. I have been thinking about it a lot over the past 24 hours since a lot of these reports came out. We have so many good people working in Tusla. I find now when I meet somebody working with Tusla they are shy and reticent about saying they do so because, unfortunately, Tusla has such negative connotations. People think automatically that things are going wrong all of the time. They are not. Obviously, there are many challenges, which I will go into, but I think of all those people working with Tusla and doing an excellent job of supporting children and families who need it. Many children and families are in very vulnerable situations and, as the Senator said, are coming from trauma and trying to fix that trauma, which is very difficult.

At the end of last year, there were 5,879 children and young people in foster care and residential care and 2,985 receiving aftercare support. About 85% of those in care are with foster parents and we always need foster parents and prospective foster parents to step up and provide a home. The vast majority of these do an excellent job in loco parentis. I have often heard psychologists and psychiatrists say there is never a substitute for a family and we should do more to support families in crisis to stay together as a family that can give support.

Senator Rabbitte met Shane Griffin with me a number of times - a young man in care who felt he did not receive the supports he needed. He was in 13 different foster homes. He said his younger brother, who I had the pleasure of meeting too, had a very positive experience and it had worked for him and his younger sister. Shane left at about 14 to care for his mother. He wanted to be with his mother and felt if his mother had been given the supports she needed, he and possibly his brother and sister would have been able to stay at home and that would have been better, certainly for him. No two families are the same when they are vulnerable or in crisis.

There are some young people I have been trying to support, as I know many here have been, both while they are in care and outside the care system. I organised an audiovisual presentation with EPIC quite a few years ago about that vulnerable pinch point when young people are 18 and have to leave the foster home. Speaking to foster parents, they want to give them extra supports for at least another two years. Eighteen is a very sensitive age. Young people are on the cusp of adulthood and of going on to work, education or taking a trade. To have a situation where the State will pay for an apartment or other accommodation but not support them with that supportive element is a huge problem.

We need to have the debate the Senator asked for about supporting vulnerable children, those who cannot be with their families. Part of the conversation is how we help the family to keep the children. That is an important part of the work being done. The Senator is right to say children's voices need to be heard. Rather than just those brave young people speaking out after they leave the care system, we need to ensure those in the care system can speak of their experience.

There is an over-reliance on ad hoc arrangements. We could talk about this forever but we need a better system in place, while acknowledging the good people giving their very best and the people working in the system who are broken by trying to give so much and not necessarily getting the supports they need either. We will certainly look for that debate.

Senator Nelson Murray spoke about concerns in Enfield about the school warden who is retiring and is not going to be replaced. School wardens play an important role in the lives of young people. They look forward to seeing them on those two occasions every day. I have seen it myself.

Ultimately, it is within the remit of the local authorities. They are the ones that finance it. It would be disappointing - and it is not clear from the answer sent the Senator - that it is for financial reasons that the position will no longer be there current warden retires. Certainly, we hope it would be looked at by the local authority. Everybody is vulnerable when crossing a road. It does not matter how many lights are there.

Having been in a situation where I was on crutches for a year following an accident, I am so nervous crossing the road, even at lights. Small youngsters are more vulnerable. They see their friends on the other side of the road and may be inclined to run across. Maybe their parent has said goodbye to them and then they realise halfway across the road that they forgot to bring their lunchbox and go back. Where possible, we need to have school wardens. Not only do they provide a great service, they also love their work. It is a really important role, so we certainly hope that Meath County Council will revisit its decision. We will look for a debate on safe routes to school. We can discuss the wardens and the policy, but, again, it is the councils that make the decisions.

I thank Senator Craughwell for raising the very sad situation where a second French peacekeeper has died in Lebanon. I offer our very deepest sympathies. I know I speak for everybody in the House when I say that we are beyond sad about the two French peacekeepers who have lost their lives. We are pleased, obviously, that our Irish UN peacekeepers are all safe. Thank God. Many of us, particularly those who live in Kildare, know many who have served in Lebanon over the years. I know some who are out there now. It is a very valuable experience for them. The bond they have developed with the Lebanese people is very special. People who have returned have supported the Lebanese in different ways. It is a very sad situation. We hope it will be resolved soon.

The Senator also spoke about the need for regulation and concerns about what happens with the stock market when something that clearly does not reflect any sort of decision is said in a very ad hoc way that gets a response. We have to be very concerned about the possibility that stock markets are being manipulated by off-the-wall statements that are clearly being made in other jurisdictions as opposed to here. To be honest, I am not sure where this needs to go, but I will speak to the Minister for foreign affairs and the Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs to see if this is something they can raise in a global context. It needs to be monitored at that level.

Senator Andrews spoke about the appointment of Mr. Robert Watt to the regeneration task force. It is great that we have somebody who has clearly delivered previously being appointed to that really important task force. The Senator, who is not here for the response, spoke about failures of the Government in relation to it. He was previously both a councillor and a TD for a Government party, so it is very clear that he felt differently at that time than he does now. He brought up the same issue last week in respect of the Irish Glass Bottle site and Pearse House. I will give him the same the response that I gave him last week. The Minister for housing cannot meet every group that wishes to meet him. He has an incredibly demanding schedule when it comes to trying to put in place schemes that will support people who are in need of housing, and not just social and affordable housing. We need to make sure that the development of private housing is happening apace too, but I have no doubt that the Minister is right across this. I suggested to the Senator that he table a Commencement matter in relation to both issues.

The Senator stated that there is not enough State investment going into Dublin. I mentioned during the Order of Business on Tuesday that in an analysis carried out in respect of investment, it was discovered that €1,716 per person is being invested in Dublin. In my county, the amount is €720. Clearly, money is being invested. Having said that, we all want to see the regeneration of Dublin and our city centre. Our capital city is very important to us, and we want to see it working well.

Senator Ollie Crowe spoke about Operation Thor. He was right to thank our gardaí on the beat and those at middle and senior management level. We depend on them a lot. They deserve our gratitude. It is a job worth doing, and we need to encourage people to apply to join the Garda now that the age limit has been raised. The Senator mentioned the significant drop in the number of burglaries. Residential burglaries are down 80%. That is incredible. Having recently experienced a burglary, I can say that the gardaí involved were really efficient and very good to deal with. The Senator is right to highlight that it is very difficult for the victims of burglaries. It is a trauma in itself, and, to be fair, gardaí, in my experience, are understanding and supportive in that regard.

Senator Mark Duffy spoke about the increase in the levy on local radio stations of 39% which was announced yesterday. I missed the announcement, but he is right. Local radio stations give us an incredible service. I often hear our colleagues in Dublin talking about the fact that they feel they do not get the same service. It is always an opportunity to highlight different issues or a campaign to highlight the positive things going on in the community. If my local radio station, Kfm, were to close, it would be at a huge loss to the area. I say that not just from the point of view of being a public representatives but also in the context of the fact that people can hear about concerns and issues and be provided with valuable information. I am thinking particularly of older people who are living in isolated areas and may not be using smartphones to get information. They get their vital information from their local radio stations, which provide an incredible service. Their standard of broadcasting is absolutely excellent.

We certainly support the Senator in the context of what he spoke about and what he requested. We need a reversal on this. We will ask the Minister, Deputy Patrick O'Donovan, to come before the House. I accept that Coimisiún na Meán is separate, but the Minister certainly has a vital role to play. We have been looking for him to come to the Seanad for some time. He has not taken up the invitation. I would appreciate it if the Senator would speak to him about the matter and inform him that we will be sending him an invitation later today to come here for a debate on the importance of local radio importance and on the need to ensure that the decision regarding the levy is reversed. What has happened is simply not good enough.

Senator McCarthy spoke about last night's documentary. I was at a meeting. I am really sorry, but I did not get to see it. I will get to see it over the next few nights. From everything I have heard - I listened to "Morning Ireland", and Max, who was mentioned and who is from my area, spoke on it - it is absolutely harrowing. We need to do so much better to support these. The project Senator McCarthy referred to in Jigginstown Manor is a really good one. I was very happy to work with Kildare County Council and Senator McCarthy in relation to it. Naas Men's Shed was very involved also, and I would like to give it a shout out. There are very good models in place. These are not just economic models; they are social care models. We need people who are passionate and who are be able to give of their time and energy.

Senator Murphy O'Mahony spoke about the SEAI scheme, which is an excellent scheme. I heard the statistic to which Senator Scahill referred yesterday, namely, that the level of uptake was 96%. It is a brilliant scheme, and it is wonderful that so many people want to take it. Senator Murphy O'Mahony is right. The delay that is there is very lengthy. We have asked in the past that people would be prioritised for health and care needs and that their cases would be progressed. The Minister committed to that, and I think that is good.

It is an excellent scheme and ties in with what Senator Scahill said about the apprenticeship scheme. I always remember the then Minister, Catherine Martin, speaking about this at the education committee. She spoke about how we need to try to develop the green apprenticeships that will help us with energy. Senator Scahill talked about the fact there are only 12 plastering apprenticeships coming through a year. That is a crisis. We have the Minister, Deputy James Lawless, coming into the Seanad in the next few weeks. He has committed to that. We will ensure he addresses that. To be fair, he is doing an excellent job with higher and further education. Apprenticeships come under that. The Minister of State, Deputy Marian Harkin, will deal with the apprenticeship issue as well but it is at a crisis stage when we only have 12 apprentices coming through.

We just need to make sure that young people are so well aware of their options and there is that parity of esteem between college and apprenticeships. Earn as you learn is a fantastic scheme but there is a job of work that career guidance teachers and schools need to do so that parents will encourage their children. Unfortunately, in many instances, while ambition is absolutely important, people are sometimes not suited for university but they can have such a wonderful career. They can go on to university through their apprenticeship schemes as well. We need to address the regional skills gap.

Senator Conway spoke about a review needed for the DAC scheme. He is absolutely right. To be honest, I am not overly familiar with the scheme but the fact that the Comptroller and Auditor General does not have the potential to look at how money is spent there means it seems to be a vehicle that is being used - I am not saying to avoid scrutiny or transparency because that would be wrong - and the same accountability is not there. The Senator is right in saying that in some places it works very well and in some it does not. We will request a debate about that because if it is there, there should be very clear criteria, regulation and accountability for it.