The Order of Business is No. 1, Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) (Amendment) Bill 2025 - Committee Stage, to be taken at 1 p.m. and to adjourn at 3 p.m. if not previously concluded; No. 2, statements on rural planning, to be taken at 3 p.m. and to conclude at 4.30 p.m. if not previously concluded, with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes, all other Senators not to exceed five minutes and the Minister to be given no less than ten minutes to reply to the debate; No. 3, Air Navigation and Transport (Amendment) Bill 2026 – Second Stage, to be taken at 5 p.m. with the time allocated to the debate not to exceed two hours; and No. 4, Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill 2026 – Committee Stage (Resumed), to be taken at 7 p.m. and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 10 p.m. by putting one question from the Chair which shall, in relation to the amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Government.

I welcome to our Distinguished Visitors Gallery the ambassador from Portugal on Portugal Day, which celebrates its great poet, Camões, whose death occurred on this day in 1580. He famously wrote the epic poem, The Lusiads, which celebrates Portuguese history, culture and identity, and is a symbol of Portugal's great nation. This day not only celebrates Portugal's culture, but also unites Portuguese people around the world. Nearly one third of Portuguese people live outside of Portugal. That is why Ireland and Portugal share such a unique history, having so many people scattered to the four corners of the world. We also established diplomatic relations at a challenging time in the world, 1942, when we had a chargé d'affaires in Lisbon and then a full embassy in 1975 after we joined the European Union.

Our relationships, however, go a lot further back. We believed in a zero-tariff area in the 15th century. There were close trade connections between my home county of Kerry and Portugal. I do not think anyone believed in paying tariffs back then. It took a few centuries to formalise that under the European Union. The connection included selling of silverware, wine, textiles, port, ceramics and leather goods from Portugal to Ireland, and of fish, beef, wool and timber to Portugal from the west coast of Ireland.

We wish the ambassador and all the Portuguese community in Ireland, about 15,000, a happy national day. I will do my very best Portuguese: Feliz día nacional, which is, I think, something around "Happy Portuguese national day". I wish Ambassador João Pedro de Vasconcelos Fins do Lago, his embassy and all the people from Portugal in Ireland a happy national day. I thank the ambassador for being here.

I extend a welcome on behalf of Fianna Fáil to the ambassador. I look forward to working with him.

I extend a warm congratulations to all involved in Bloom this year. It was incredibly successful and I want to recognise the outstanding achievement of Newbridge native Joe Eustace, who won the gold medal at Bord Bia Bloom for his "Future In Mind" garden. The garden was also named best in the medium garden and planting categories. Joe is only 24 years of age. His dad Ken is very well known for his work in the business. Joe has demonstrated exceptional creative talent in the horticultural area and it is credit to him and all who support him. Kieran Dunne and Kildare Growers also had very successful exhibits at Bloom. The horticulture industry is incredibly important and I would like to see a debate in the House with the Minister on supporting Irish horticulture.

The Special Olympics Ireland games start on Thursday, 18 June, with the opening ceremony in Tallaght. We will have 1,200 athletes from around the island of Ireland competing in 12 sports. There are 600 coaches and 2,500 volunteers involved in making these games an incredible experience for the athletes and all involved. They are just a fraction of the athletes involved day in, day out in local clubs, communities and centres. This is an important milestone because it is the qualifier for representing Ireland in Santiago, Chile, next year. I wish all the athletes the best of luck and thank everybody involved, including the 2,500 volunteers, in ensuring the games are a great success.

I want to mention a visa application from a group of 20 dancers, musicians and youth leaders from the Lajee Center in Palestine who have applied for visas to do a cultural tour of Ireland. This has happened on a number of occasions. It is an important cultural exchange. Their visa applications were lodged last week to do a tour in July. I would appreciate the Acting Leader's support in terms of asking that these visas be dealt with in a timely fashion. We must do everything we can to make sure this can happen and to give a glimmer of light, life and hope to those 20 individuals.

I welcome our distinguished guest, the Portuguese ambassador, to the House this morning. I also welcome Councillor Peter Feeney and his special guests and all of the guests in the Public Gallery this morning.

Today I want to raise the issue of limited access to driving test centres in north Kerry and seek a debate with the Minister for Transport on the provision of additional driving test capacity in rural north Kerry and throughout the country. At present residents of north Kerry must travel to Tralee or Killarney to sit their driving test. This includes people living in towns and villages such as Listowel, Ballybunion, Tarbert, Moyvane, Duagh, Causeway, Abbeydorney, Ballyheigue, Ballydonoghue, Lixnaw and Kilflynn in rural north Kerry. When young people are completing their essential driving training families already face the cost of lessons, insurance and testing fees. Long travel distances for lessons and test appointments place an additional burden on households, particularly in rural areas where public transport is limited and a driving licence is often essential for accessing education, employment and training opportunities.

There is also a strong case that demand exists. Figures from last year show that more than 850 people were actively waiting for a driving test in Tralee. There were 3,736 driving tests in total. There were 500 waiting in Killarney, where there were 3,933 driving tests completed in total. When scheduled applicants and those progressing through the system are included, there were more than 4,300 applications across the two Kerry centres.

In general the long delays for driving tests in Kerry over the past three years were caused by a combination of very high demand and insufficient testing capacity. The Listowel municipal district area alone has a population approaching 32,000 and this does not cover the whole district of north Kerry. Listowel serves as the main hub for the area. The town has a suitable road network including urban routes, roundabouts, residential areas, national and regional roads, and the recently opened Listowel bypass further enhances connectivity and provides access to a wider range of road conditions suitable for driver testing capability. There is a very strong argument for the RSA, in a time of real need for road safety, to examine the feasibility of establishing a driving test centre in Listowel or, at the very least, to assess the demand and services needed for the wider north Kerry region. I call on the Minister for Transport to come to the House to debate this issue for north Kerry.

I was across the road this morning at the INTO's presentation for Oireachtas Members on its pre-budget submission, with regard to the 1,000 teaching jobs needed to secure the national schools in this country. I want to show my support for its submission.

I condemn the violence perpetrated on Stephen Ogilvie in Belfast in recent days, when he was almost decapitated by an alleged perpetrator who is now before the courts. I also condemn the murders of 23 Catholics and Protestants who similarly had their throats cut, were attacked by axes, mutilated, tortured and in some cases subsequently shot by people such as Lenny Murphy and John Murphy. Do I suspect every loyalist or member of the unionist community of being so violent? No, I do not. Most of them are fine, decent and upstanding people. I also condemn the murder of Keane Mulready-Woods, a child who was dismembered, decapitated and mutilated, and parts of his body were disposed around the city. The alleged perpetrator in that case, who has been shot dead, was from Dublin like myself. Do I suspect every Dublin person of being likely to carry out savage and brutal acts of violence? No, I do not. In relation to the alleged perpetrator in the attack on Stephen Ogilvie, do I suspect every Sudanese person or every Somali citizen of such violence? No, I do not. In fact, they come to my home daily and weekly to attend to the intimate care needs of my adult son, and I welcome them into my home as my brothers and sisters.

We have to be very careful about what is unfolding at the moment on this island North and South and across the water in the UK. When Natalie McNally was murdered by Stephen McCullagh in the most brutal fashion and her head left at a dog bowl in Northern Ireland, which has the highest level of violence against women in Europe, did people come out on the streets and burn cars? Did they set fire to buses? No, they did not. What difference does the Stephen Ogilvie attack have? I will tell you what the difference is. It is sectarian, racist, identity-based politics, that narrative, that rhetoric of hatred mobilised by various privileged people to get their foot soldiers to go out and attack the vulnerable on our streets. It is Kristallnacht, wash, rinse, repeat. Destroying a Turkish barber? We have to confront this as politicians and we must take a stand against this type of appalling rhetoric. The only common denominator in most of these assaults is that they are perpetrated by men. Should we ban all men from the streets? Certainly we should not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity or skin colour. We are all capable of the same potential violence.

Yesterday I spoke about security and defence issues and I watched the response to my contribution. I have never queried the professional or service record of any Member of the House. I have never brought into question their credibility, standing or validity. This is a vocational House and I bring my expertise here in good faith and everything I say is evidence-based. I would hope that going forward in future contributions the subject and the ball is dealt with and not the man.

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business to take No. 12 before No. 1. No. 12 is the Electoral (Amendment) (Voting Age) Bill 2026, which is straightforward legislation that seeks to reduce the voting age from 18 to 16 for local and European elections. There has been a debate going on for years about those aged 16 and 17 who contribute to our society and pay tax when they are out working, whether they start in transition year, go into apprenticeships or work on family farms. If they are paying taxes and contributing to our society should they not have a choice in who represents them? Should they not have a vote for their representatives on the ground whom they can contact? Should they not have a say on who represents them?

By extending the voting age to those aged 16 and 17, we would not simply be giving young people a vote but we would also be encouraging candidates for political parties to engage with them, listen to their concerns and address the issues they face, whether on education, access to apprenticeships, youth services or public transport. There are so many issues. Sometimes those starting college are aged 16 or 17, and they feel they do not have the same rights because they do not have the vote and they do not have a say in who is representing them. In a time when democracy is so important in this country, it would bring in this younger cohort to show them what democracy is all about and bring into our schools education to show them how important it is to be involved in democracy in this country.

We bring up many issues in this House and the other House every day. There is a bit of a disconnect when it comes to our youth as they do not always connect one with the other and they do not engage. My colleague spoke about what is happening in Belfast. If people knew how to engage with their representatives we might not have this level of what sometimes happens on the streets in this country. A lot of the time we see on the streets much younger people who have not been involved and have not had an education on how to understand how the political system works, how it can work and how we can strengthen it and bring about the changes needed for security and safety. It is about engaging with young people. They contribute to our society so why not give them the chance to vote and have a say in who represents them?

I raise the appalling new figures that have been released by Greyhound Racing Ireland revealing that 63% of the racing greyhounds born in 2021 and 2022 that have been retired from the track are already dead. To break this down, the figures provided to the Minister for agriculture show that, as of April this year, 57% of the greyhounds born in 2021 that remain in this country but are no longer racing are dead. That is a total of 3,300 dogs. The death rate is even higher for 2022. A staggering 74% of the racing greyhounds born in that year that remain here and have been retired from the track are dead. That is a total of another 2,666 animals. None of those dogs would yet have had gone beyond five and a half years of age and the youngest was three and a half years of age.

These figures reaffirm what we already know all too well. This is an incredibly cruel industry in which the widespread killing of dogs remains endemic and raises serious animal welfare concerns. Contrary to what we have been told by the industry, which is that the welfare of racing greyhounds is its main priority and that standards are improving, these figures reveal that the mass killing of unwanted racing greyhounds continues at the same rate exposed in the 2019 "RTÉ Investigates" documentary "Greyhounds Running for their Lives". After that documentary and the fallout that came with it, Greyhound Racing Ireland committed to bringing in a traceability system to ensure greater accountability for the welfare of racing animals. However, the system has only served to further expose and not solve the welfare crisis. It is not credible for the industry to claim that it prioritises greyhound welfare when in addition to thousands of dogs killed each year because they are no longer considered to be profitable, hundreds more suffer life-changing injuries or are killed while racing, with common injuries on the tracks including broken legs, crushed vertebrae and dislocated wrists.

During the recent hot spell, we again heard industry claims that it valued animals' welfare ring hollow. While veterinarians and welfare organisations were urging dog owners not to walk their animals in the heat, greyhound racing went ahead in Tralee despite soaring temperatures that reportedly reached 27°C. This constitutes yet another example of the systemic maltreatment suffered by animals in this industry.

Given the evidence of systematic mistreatment of dogs within the greyhound industry, we must ask ourselves why Irish taxpayers' money to the tune of nearly €20 million a year is being used to prop up a declining and ethically unjustifiable industry that sees thousands of dogs being killed every year. The industry does not enjoy widespread public support. It is reliant on Government funds to survive and I do not believe the State should be complicit in these egregious and systematic breaches of animal welfare. We must see an end to public funding for this deeply cruel practice and I would very much like to have a debate on the issue.

Before I call the next speaker, I welcome a health delegation from Türkiye, and the deputy minister, to the Distinguished Visitors' Gallery. They are most welcome to Ireland and to the Seanad. As they have probably been told a number of times, during the Famine, the people of Türkiye, the Turkish nation and the Sultan of Türkiye gave a donation to famine relief in Ireland that far exceeded the donation that was given by Queen Victoria. We tell that story many times when we have friends from Türkiye over here to remind us of our long-standing connection. I thank them for being here.

I was going to extend a bem-vindo to the Portuguese delegation. I must also, and this is rough, say hoş geldiniz to our Turkish delegation. As the convener of the Turkish-Irish friendship group, it is very special to see them here.

My childcare concerns are far behind me. That is the case for my own generation and it passes to the next. When my children have their own children, they are going to be in a better place to look after childcare because there have been extensive interventions through Government. Via the Minister, Deputy Foley, we have reduced childcare costs for families through significant increases in the national childcare scheme. We have introduced fee caps and increased State investment to make childcare much more affordable. We have expanded core funding and supports for childcare staff. However, affordability means little if there are no spaces. Looking across the country, and particularly in my own county of Louth, there is much housing being developed in Drogheda and east Meath, right up as far as the north county in Haggardstown. Those planning developments have childcare written into them, yet we are not seeing those crèches opening. They are either opening far too late, are being downsized or are just being forgotten completely. These young families - and they are young families that are moving into these developments - have nowhere to put their children. I will hazard a guess that they are being sold these houses on the basis of the availability of childcare, but there is very little use in their getting their dream homes if there is nowhere for childcare.

This is not just about childcare but also about women being able to move back into the workplace. We really need to have a timely debate in the House on how we can make sure that when planning developments to provide housing, affordable housing and any other kind of housing, including crèche or childcare facilities, those facilities must be built along with the first tranche of housing so that we are not waiting until the very end or seeing those facilities falling off completely.

I stand in support of the people of the Lacken-Ballycastle-Killala area and Erris in their opposition to two proposed wind farm developments that are being advanced in both of those areas. These are areas of scenic natural beauty, home to rural areas and people who have faced depopulation and many challenges down through the years. They are resilient communities. Both of these proposals totally contravene county development plans and the wind energy strategy. They contravene "Wild Mayo", which was a Fáilte Ireland document released in Ballinglen earlier this year. What is being proposed will destroy areas with thousands of years of history, including neolithic, ecological and biological history, and precious ecosystems that we celebrate and promote. They will be undermined by both of these developments. We in north Mayo are playing our role in sustainable energy, including wind energy, but these are totally in the wrong location. I object to them and support the opposition of the local community.

St. Muredach's Cathedral in Ballina is one of the tallest buildings in north Mayo. It stands at 46 m. One of these turbines alone would dwarf St. Muredach's Cathedral. At 180 m, these are monstrosities that are being proposed. I ask for the support of the House to support a community that has been very proactive. I compliment both of the action groups, which have been constructive in working with the communities that are constructively objecting to both proposals. Councillors Jarlath Munnelly and Gerry Coyle have been working with me on the rejection of both of these monstrosities, which would undermine the scenic beauty of north Mayo. These companies cannot ride roughshod over communities that were there long before these proposals ever began.

I rise to address the recent International Monetary Fund, IMF, report warning of the impact that artificial intelligence, AI, could have an on employment in this country. I must say that it represents a stark warning to the Government. The IMF has stated that AI could affect more than 40% of the jobs in Ireland and that Ireland is more exposed than most advanced economies to these risks. That should set alarm bells ringing, yet what do we see at the same time? We see major layoffs already happening. Meta is cutting 20% of its Irish workforce, which equates to some 350 jobs, while Oracle is reportedly planning to cut approximately 150 jobs. Government sources are now briefing that further job losses are expected in the months ahead.

At the same time, we continue to rely heavily on multinational tech companies as the backbone of our economy. The IMF has warned clearly that this reliance is itself a vulnerability. Where is the plan to address that? Where is the strategy to diversify employment and protect workers?

There is a contradiction at the heart of our labour market. Youth unemployment still stands at approximately 6%, yet employers say they cannot find workers. This is not a functioning system. It is a failure of policy. We must also be honest about youth emigration. When young people are forced to leave the country to find work, that, too, is unemployment, just exported beyond our borders.

The IMF made it clear that without serious investment in reskilling and upskilling, workers would be left behind, yet we hear vague assurances from the Government that it will have people's backs.

That is not a plan. Unless the Government takes seriously co-ordinated action to align skills with future jobs to reduce our over-reliance on multinationals and to ensure that people can live and work here, we are heading into a period of disruption for which this country is simply not prepared. A meeting with or a briefing from the Minister of State with responsibility for AI, Deputy Smyth, to discuss that would be very welcome.

I acknowledge the Irish ladies football team last night. Even though they ultimately were not successful in directly qualifying for the World Cup, I think they are on the up. They are fantastic. Carla Ward is doing an amazing job. I second Senator Collins's amendment.

I was in touch over the past week with a lady called Serca Darcy, who has breast cancer. She is 35 years of age. She has worked in hairdressing since she was 15. She opened her own salon and has employed a couple of people for the past 12 years. She has worked very hard. She has been working hard since she was 15 years of age. She has paid tax. She was self-employed for part of this time and created employment to pay VAT every two months, rent and rates. She has two young children with a mortgage and childcare at a time when the cost of everything is increasing. Serca has been applying for some financial supports - any financial support. She has applied for four different types of support from the Department of Social Protection. Her spouse has an income that is over €530, although not much over that. It is not a huge income but they have a mortgage, childcare, utility bills and two young children and the costs are coming at them from everywhere. Serca needs childcare because she is not strong enough to care for the kids when she is undergoing chemotherapy. They are really struggling to stay afloat. They are going from a two-salary household to a one-salary household. They do not have an extravagant lifestyle. Their outgoings are not taken into account. There must be a safety net for people like Serca and her family. They cannot be thrown to the wolves. The Department needs to ensure that when it looks at a situation like that involving Serca, it does not just send the application back saying it has been refused. The Department needs to say "look, you don't qualify for this but this is something you may qualify for". Every time an application goes is made, it is refused and it takes up to a month to process with additional information. Breast cancer is stressful and traumatising enough without having to navigate social welfare obstacles. There needs to be some sort of humanity and common sense in the way that the Department works not just for Serca but for other people like her. We need the Minister to come in here to debate this issue because it is about humanity and treating people right - people who have contributed so much to their community and to society.

I was recently contacted by the elected members of Cavan County Council about their concerns about ash dieback in ash trees along the public road. They really feel, and I agree with them, that landowners should not be left with the financial cost of removing these trees. I know there is a scheme for forestry owners who are affected by ash dieback in their plantations, and that is obviously welcome, but there is no compensation for farmers or landowners whose trees have been affected by ash dieback in their hedgerows along the public road. There is a significant health and safety concern there for road users should these trees fall. It also could bring down power lines and cause outages again if there is another storm. It even involves the cost of removing these trees, which has to fall on the landowner. Landowners cannot afford to do this. I am asking that this be raised with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and I am calling for him to consider some form of financial support for farmers who have ash trees affected by ash dieback that need to be removed.

Tonight in the Dáil, Deputies will be speaking on Report Stage of the Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026. Within that Bill is a really important move to recognise counselling notes as legally privileged material. It is incredibly violating for victims of sexual abuse to have their counselling notes essentially handed over to their abuser and their legal team. I was listening to Paula Doyle on "Liveline" yesterday and I commend her courage in speaking out about the abuse she suffered at the hands of her partner. She spoke about the trauma she faced when her counselling notes were used against her by the defence. In her counselling sessions, she had described how difficult she found hugging her children because of how defiled she felt after years of sexual abuse. In court, they used this to try to frame her as a bad mother withholding affection from her children. It is absolutely disgusting that a moment of vulnerability in a private counselling session could be used as a way to discredit her as a loving mother. On "Liveline", Paula said "he took my body and then the State took my mind and handed it over to him." The very least a victim of abuse should expect is to have their innermost thoughts and feelings safeguarded from their predator. While I welcome the progress made in this Bill, I do not believe it goes far enough. The Minister indicated there would be a statutory presumption against disclosure of counselling notes but that is not what the legislation actually provides for. It leaves open routes for disclosure that many survivors fear could continue the very practice the Bill seeks to address. I am hoping the Minister will reconsider this when he comes before the Seanad.

Over the past number of months, there has been a lot of waste, mismanagement and a lack of accountability when public money is squandered. Last week, we learned of the Irish Rail IT project, which cost in excess of €50 million. This was €50 million in taxpayers' money. Before that, of course, it was about a bicycle shed and a printer room here and a bicycle shed in Kerry. We now have an extraordinary example, which has been released in the past two weeks, about electric buses. A total of €38 million of taxpayers' money was spent on these buses and they cannot be used because there are no chargers for the buses. Yesterday, €7 million was disclosed as being spent on storing the €38 million buses. How does that happen? Who signed off on it? Where is the accountability because the public is entitled to ask questions about what is happening to its money? Every euro that is wasted is a euro that cannot be spent on housing, healthcare, disability, etc. I am involved in the homeless sector. There are 17,517 people in emergency accommodation so people find it impossible to understand how we spent €38 million on buses that we cannot use. As somebody who is in business, I know that if I wasted money repeatedly, I would be held accountable. I am always asked to explain myself to my own staff, learn from the mistakes and put systems in place so they do not happen again. What frustrates people is the feeling that responsibility disappears into a maze of agencies, Departments, etc., and the taxpayer is left on the hook again to foot the foot the bill. I want to acknowledge Deputy Albert Dolan. His system for stronger oversight regarding where public money is going is a good thing. Public money cannot be seen as monopoly money. It belongs to the people of Ireland and they deserve better.

I commend my hometown of Navan, which for a good few years never really did very well when it came to the Anti-Litter League. A very progressive new Tidy Towns committee has been set up in Navan. I cannot take any credit for it. I have not even been out with them. I hope to get out with them in the future. We have moved from being No. 30 in the anti-litter league table last year up to No. 18 this year. It is the first round and then they go back and look at it again. I want to commend Navan because we have another lovely sister town in my constituency called Trim that is spotless and wins many awards. I am delighted that the capital town of Navan has come up to No. 18.

That being said, I am going to tell Members about something that once they see it, they will not be able to unsee it. I refer to the little white stickers from disposable vapes that are on every single bin across Ireland. It is absolutely soul-destroying to see them. They are tiny little ones from disposable vapes, they are hugely unsightly and they make the areas that people are trying to keep clean look very dirty.

They are very hard to get off the bins. I raised this issue when I was a county councillor. Instead of a "Bin your gum" campaign, we could launch a "Bin your sticker from the vapes" campaign. Maybe we need to look at holding the manufacturers to account and make them come up with a way to ensure these little stickers are not part of the packaging. It is kind of like the stickers that are on Pink Lady apples. It is the only apple I know that has a sticker on it and you kind of wonder what to do with it. People genuinely put the vape packaging in the bin but it is this one little sticker they stick to pipes, walls and bins. We need to do something about it because it is dreadful and impossible to get off. We need to hold the producers responsible. Maybe they need to contribute to the cost. We need to run a public campaign to let people know not to do this. When people see the stickers on other things, they tend to put them on themselves. Could we ask the Minister for the environment to have a look at this and how we can hold the producers to account? Can we run a campaign about this? With all of the hard work that Tidy Towns committees are doing around the country, the last thing we need to see is a bin like this covered in white vape stickers.

I rise this morning to speak about education and teaching across the country. I have attended, as I am sure many here today have too, the INTO briefing across the road to get its insight into the way things are at the moment within our primary school education system. The INTO's ask is for 1,000 new teaching posts, which will cost €78 million. I appreciate this is a large sum of money and if we are to do this, it will be on an ongoing basis.

This is an investment we cannot afford not to make. If we look around the country, while we see our class sizes are the lowest they have been in two decades, at 23, we are still four ahead of the EU average. We are comparing very poorly with countries which are not as economically well-off as we are but where the average is 19. An addition 1,000 teaching posts across the country would reduce the pupil-teacher ratio of 20:1. From speaking to teachers, not just this morning but all across my area of north-west Cork, this is the first time in quite a few years there has been no difficulty in fulfilling new teaching posts. There are a lot of people returning from abroad as qualified teachers. We also have a lot of people graduating from our teaching colleges here. There will not be any difficulty in getting these people.

It would make a difference in every single classroom for the teachers. It is not always 23 students but that is the average. A decrease from a ratio of 23:1 to 20:1 would mean teachers would have more time to deal with children who have additional needs and more time to focus on those kids who need a little bit of extra help. There are so many kids stuck in the squeezed middle who need that little bit of additional help but, at the current moment and with the current pupil-teacher ratios we have, they are not getting that. If we look at predicted closures of schools across the country due to them coming under the pupil-teacher ratio, we are looking at 19 potential closures in Munster. Decreasing the pupil-teacher ratio would give a lifeline to these schools.

I am asking to bring the Minister for education in here to discuss this. I know there are a lot of pressures on the budget but we need to discuss this and it is a very important form of long-term investment.

Hear, hear.

Many of us, the Cathaoirleach included, will have received a very reasonable letter from Mr. Declan McKenna, not previously known to me, regarding the use of LGBT and transgender pride colours within the branding and public communications of Government Departments. He specifies the education Department. He says the inclusion of these symbols may be perceived as endorsing particular views on gender identity and sexuality that are not shared by all citizens. He stresses he fully supports the dignity and respectful treatment of every person, regardless of background or beliefs, but he does not believe that a Government Department should be seen to promote any particular ideology concerning gender or society.

Mr. McKenna says the primary remit of the Government is to serve all citizens, children, young people and families impartially. He says State institutions should seek to maintain a position of neutrality on matters that remain the subject of significant moral, philosophical, religious and societal debate. He request that State Departments review their use of such symbols and consider adopting branding that is inclusive of all citizens, regardless of beliefs, and remains focused on the core functions and responsibility of the Departments in question. He says the flying of flags, other than the national or EU flag, outside of Government Buildings is highly inappropriate.

I think he is absolutely right on every point. I ask that we have a debate on the privileging of certain ideas, ideologies and symbols at taxpayers' expense by Government Departments. This is very relevant because when we privilege certain organisations, we see things like what happened last week with the Minister, Deputy Norma Foley. She was challenged and asked about highly inappropriate books being pushed at children by Children's Books Ireland, the same organisation that is looking for €68 million of taxpayer's money to fund modern, inclusive books in libraries. It is highly inappropriate sexual material that is being pushed at children as young as 15. Her glib answer was to say she had not seen the book and it is a problem for parents to deal with. That negligence on the Minister's part is unacceptable.

The former Minister, Charlie Flanagan, gave the lie to even that by saying he approached her about the very same book in 2023 and talked about the inappropriate content and she laughed in his face. I believe that the Minister, Deputy Foley, does not like those particular kinds of books but this is what happens when people get into Government and they are captured. They think if they stray beyond supporting certain ideologies, they will lose their position or place. That is shameful on the part of the Minister and it is shameful on the part of the Government. We need a debate on the very issue Mr. McKenna has raised and we need to ask questions about why an organisation that gets public funding, like Children's Books Ireland, is pushing sexual material at young children at ages that are inappropriate. It is completely wrong and we need a debate on this.

I have a point of order.

No. The Senator can interrupt to ask a Member when he is speaking. That is the Standing Order. The Senator can do it but only when he is speaking and he has to give way.

I cannot raise any point of order?

No.

So I cannot ask whether we should get rid of the prayer at the start of each day.

In a roundabout way, the Senator is asking the question.

That one was voted down. The then Senator Bacik's motion did not succeed.

Mercy.

Will the prayer be got rid of? What is good for the goose is good for the gander.

If Senator Andrews thinks that is a comparison, he needs to reflect on the issues.

As the Senator is aware, the Standing Order says that when a Senator is in possession, is speaking and another Senator wishes to make a point, they can ask-----

I did not want to interrupt him.

If Sinn Féin is becoming anti-religion, I think that will help it at the polls.

The only time a Senator can be interrupted is when they are actually speaking. Otherwise, they are not actually being interrupted. I point out that it is only an interruption while a Senator is speaking. Under Standing Order 40 Senators can ask to interrupt other Senators. We try to do things politely here. The Senator can ask and if the Senator in possession wants to give way, the Senator in possession can give way. Are we clear on that?

I am glad I know now what Standing Order 41 is. I will use it with wild abandon from now on. I raise a very important issue here today. Dr. Ali, a popular GP in County Longford who serviced Lanesborough and Longford town, retired recently. The HSE contracted for a replacement and we secured a very good successor. They are operating in Longford town and Lanesborough. It is implicit in the contract they are required to do three half days in Lanesborough. It is a source of great concern for us in Lanesborough that the contract has not been fulfilled in Lanesborough.

A local councillor, Sean Mimnagh, is very strong on this and I know he has made direct contact with the Minister for Health about this. In recent days, we have seen the Minister coming down very strongly on the Rotunda Hospital and the issue of contractual obligations there. If we are talking about contracts and the HSE, if it is good enough for the Rotunda Hospital to be implicitly following the letter of the contract, it is the same for a GP.

We have had a great tradition of GPs in Lanesborough. There is Dr. Colm Farrell who runs a very successful and popular GP practice there. Down through the years, there was Dr. Donohoe and many other eminent GPs who kept us alive, despite our best efforts. It is important for the people and they are concerned this an erosion of the service in Lanesborough. If the GP is only contracted for three half days, the concern there is the service is being eroded and ultimately, it will reach the point where they will lose this second GP. I will be calling on the Leader to reach out to the Minister for Health, as I have done myself and as I know Councillor Mimnagh has done very vociferously. We need the Minister and the HSE to intervene.

If somebody gets a HSE State-funded contract or is being paid by the State, they need to implement that contract to the letter of the law. We need a cast-iron assurance that the GP will operate a three half-day service in Lanesborough. Like the Rotunda, anything else is unacceptable.

I thank the 15 contributors. Senator Fiona O'Loughlin spoke about the success of the Bloom festival, which has been a success ever since it started over a decade ago. It has increased in size and it is a good opportunity to have a debate on horticulture, something we have not had in the Chamber for quite some time. I will contact the Minister's office to see if that is possible. She also spoke about the Palestinian dancers who need visas. It is an obvious thing that we should be able to accommodate. The Minister should be able to facilitate that in some way. Not only is it the right thing to do, it should be done on the grounds of compassion and support. We as a Government have always tried to support the Palestinian people and give them some sort of normal life. There are lot of people from Palestine in Ireland. If people are coming over for an event it is something we should support.

Senator Michael Kennelly spoke about driving tests in north Kerry, the demand for which has increased dramatically. A lot of people are waiting. That has a huge impact on people who need to take a driving test for a job or, more commonly, if they are travelling to college. There is significant demand and people have been left waiting for a long time. I will contact the Minister's office for a debate on that. This is an issue not only in Kerry but in other counties across the country where there is huge demand for tests and people have to travel much further than their home town to get a test in an emergency.

Senator Tom Clonan spoke about the violence in Belfast last night and condemned everything that happened, as I do. He outlined what a lot of people are thinking if they are being honest with themselves, namely, that there is outrage about particular types of violence and people, yet other violence that has happened in this country has not attracted the same sort of emotional reaction and it is very obvious why. I agree with him. He spoke very passionately. He also mentioned the debate on the Order of Business yesterday and my response to it in regard to him being a former Army officer. I would remind him that I did not raise the issue. He raised the issue that he was a former Army officer and because of that expertise he should be listened to. I said simply that there were other former Defence Forces members in this Chamber, such as Senator Craughwell, and in the other Chamber, such as Deputy Callaghan, and they have very different views to him. All I was suggesting was that they have a background and expertise very similar to his but they have opposing views. Perhaps he is sensitive to the criticism, but that is all I said.

Senator Joanne Collins asked for an amendment, which I am happy to accept, regarding voting rights for 16- and 17-year-olds. It is something that should be debated and considered. We also need to encourage people to get out and vote. It is not just about getting more 16- and 17-year-olds involved in politics, which should be done from an educational perspective; we also need to encourage them to see why it is so important to vote. It is to be hoped such a debate would also encourage 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds to vote. I am more than happy to facilitate that amendment.

Senator Patricia Stephenson asked for a debate on the greyhound industry. I am more than happy to do that. I will talk to the Minister's office to see if that is possible. She outlined her views and research on the greyhound industry. There are obviously differing views on all sides. It is an industry that is a livelihood for an awful lot of people across the country. People love animals, including dogs. There are always issues in every industry and I am more than happy to debate the industry, a debate which has happened in this Chamber and in the Lower House. We will try to see if we can facilitate that as soon as possible.

Senator Alison Comyn spoke about childcare. She outlined the major changes to childcare which are significant in terms of reduced costs and fee caps. That is all well and good, but if services do not have spaces what is the use? A lot of investment has been made in childcare, which is welcome. More needs to be done, in particular for new estates built with a childcare facility in the plans that is sometimes not completed for whatever reason, such as developers or costs. Young families moving into those estates assume there will be a childcare facility, but then find it does not exist. From my perspective, I have two young boys and know the importance of childcare and childcare facilities, in particular, but not always, for the women of the house in terms of going back to work. Childcare is a real worry for some people in terms of being able to go back to work. It is a financial worry for families, but also for individuals because people want to go back to work, have normality and get back to normal life after a number of months or a year.

Senator Mark Duffy spoke about wind two farms proposed for Mayo and outlined his objection to them. He made a very good case about the proposal going against the county development plan. Councillors are there to put forward county development plans. They know areas better than anyone else and are elected to represent the people of an area. Gerry Coyle and Jarlath Munnelly are experienced councillors who know what is good for their area. If they, along with Senator Duffy, are raising concerns, those concerns should be taken on board. There is normally a consultation period in place. Senator Duffy is very supportive of renewable energy and wind farms in general, but obviously only in the right place. A Commencement matter with the Minister could be helpful.

Senator Sharon Keogan spoke about the IMF report on AI and the impact that could have on employment. That is why we established a Committee on AI at the start of this term. Many concerns have been expressed about the opportunities AI can create. In truth, we are all in the unknown in respect of what can happen with AI. We can certainly have a debate in the House on it. I will contact the Minister of State, Deputy Niamh Smyth, as soon as possible.

Senator Chris Andrews spoke about the women's game last night, which was a brilliant performance. It was obviously upsetting - what can one do about a goal when there is a bicycle kick into the top corner? It is harsh on the girls. They have done us incredibly proud. I have no doubt they will do us proud again in October and qualify for the World Cup. They are a great team and bunch of individuals and an inspiration to the whole country.

And Ringsend.

That is true. The Senator spoke about Serca Darcy. As public representatives, unfortunately we all know of people who get very sick due to breast cancer or other long-term illnesses, look for supports and do not know where to go. All of us advise people in our constituencies on what they are entitled to or could get. There is uncertainty. It is important that someone with a young family who loses a wage can access help. It can be very stressful. The woman the Senator mentioned should be able to qualify for medical cards and so on. She is a hairdresser, therefore the 9% VAT rate will have a big impact on her business later on in the year.

She had to close down her business.

The VAT rate was introduced to support hairdressers in particular. I accept people who are out of work for a long time do not know where to go or for what they qualify. That is our job. We should promote that more. I find that is what we do when we are in our constituencies.

Senator Pauline Tully spoke about ash dieback in Cavan. A Commencement matter with the Minister would be worthwhile because there is a financial support package for people who have ash dieback. It does not apply to hedges along roads. It could be worthwhile to bring the Minister in on a Commencement matter.

Senator Sarah O'Reilly spoke about the Bill before the Dáil today regarding counselling notes that can be shared with representatives of alleged perpetrators in courts. The Bill will come to the Seanad and we will have an opportunity to have that debate.

Senator Aubrey McCarthy spoke about the Irish Rail IT project and listed five or six projects that have been overpriced or which were not value for money.

However, there have been a lot of value-for-money projects that have been completed on time for less than the allocated money. The obvious example is broadband. It was delivered on budget and on time. There are a lot of road projects that have been delivered on budget and on time, albeit I accept that he named a number of projects where that has not been the case. All of these matters can always be dealt with at the public accounts committee. Where there is public spend, the committee can bring anyone in to seek accountability.

Senator Linda Nelson Murray spoke about Tidy Towns and how well Navan was doing in comparison to its neighbours in the county. That happens everywhere. In my village in Tipperary, we always compare ourselves to our neighbouring villages and whether we beat them every year. Obviously, that encourages more people to get out to help their community, which is important. Stickers from vapes being put on bins is a simple thing. It seems so small but if it is constantly done, it has a big impact. We will talk to the Minister for the environment, Deputy O’Brien, to see whether we can get something done on it. As the Senator said, it is like chewing gum. People need to be aware of the visual impact it has on the area.

Senator Eileen Lynch spoke about the INTO briefing. A good Tipperary man, Brendan Horan, is now the president of the INTO. Its ask for an increase in teacher numbers to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio is reasonable. Obviously, there has been huge investment at a capital level in education. Over the number of years when the Minister, Deputy Foley, held this portfolio, there were reductions in the number of pupils per class. The more we do and the better we do, the better kids’ education in schools will be. That is what we are all fighting for. It is a good opportunity for the Minister, Deputy Naughton, as the new Minister for education, to come to the Chamber to have a pre-budget debate on this. We will try to make that possible.

Senator Rónán Mullen raised LGBT colours being used in public buildings. He answered it himself at the end when he responded to Senator Andrews. In this building, the committees on Members’ interests make decisions on behalf of all of us. There are groups within different public Departments that make decisions. One person alone does not decide to put up a flag. With regard to costs, I cannot imagine it is a great cost to a Department or this building to put up a flag, whether it is the Ukrainian, European or LGBT flag. Everyone has different views on this, and I totally respect that. Certainly, in this building, we have colleagues who are on the committees on Members’ interests who make decisions on our behalf.

Senator Joe Flaherty raised the retirement of Dr. Ali and the contract for his replacement. An agreement was put in place that there would be three half days included to service the area of Lanesborough, but that is not being done. Obviously, if it is in the contract, it should be followed through on. The Senator may wish to discuss this with the Minister because it is not something we would have a debate on in this House. He could submit a Commencement matter on it. I am more than happy to write to the Minister on the Senator’s behalf to deal with it. As the Senator said, if we can fight the Rotunda to follow through on contracts, it should happen in Longford or anywhere else.

Senator Collins has proposed an amendment to the Order of Business: “That No. 12 be taken before No.1”. It has been seconded by Senator Andrews. The Leader has indicated that he is willing to accept the amendment. Is that agreed? Agreed.