I thank the 16 Senators who contributed this morning. Senator Comyn spoke about the increase in shoplifting and mentioned the 41 court cases at the moment in Dún Laoghaire. That is replicated right across the country. If you speak to owners of shops like Centra and Spar, they will tell you that shoplifting happens on a daily basis and nearly on an hourly basis. The kinds of things that are taken are normally day-to-day items that people just need. It is important that we have a debate in this House on the matter because it has been an ongoing issue for the last two to three years, at least. It has a real impact and it is a real cost to those businesses. It has an impact on the managing of those businesses. We will try to have a debate on it in this House.

Senator Ní Chuilinn raised an issue involving Rowing Ireland that has been in the public domain for many years. It relates to the conditions that some of the best sportspeople in our country have had to deal with. It is hugely welcome that an independent inquiry has been launched by the Minister, and that there is hopefully a completion date by the end of this year. Senator Ní Chuilinn has done a lot of work in the committee on this matter to try to give our athletes an opportunity to have a real, independent assessment of how they are being treated. Like the Senator, I hope that everyone who wants to speak up feels as though they are safe so that they can speak up and give their opinions. The Senator is right, hopefully, that we will accept any recommendations or any findings from the independent inquiry headed up by Amanda Bennett. I think there needs to be a broader scope across all sports and not just rowing. Having something like a sports integrity unit, as the Senator has advocated for a long time, would be a good base to work from.

Senator Boyhan is right that we have a busy schedule over the next number of weeks. It is always the case, as he knows because he has been here for quite some time, that coming up to the summer recess a lot of Bills have to go through the House. I am in an acting role at the moment so I cannot say for certain but I am more than happy to facilitate. As Senators are aware, we will sit early next Tuesday. I am more than happy to sit earlier on Tuesdays and later on Thursdays to make sure we can give people the opportunity to speak on important legislation that comes before the House. I am very flexible and I am sure the Senator knows that as well. I am very flexible in terms of our sitting times, when we start or when we finish.

The Senator also mentioned local government and the statement of strategy. That feeds into the local task force. Senator Davitt raised that last week and, like Senator Boyhan, he asked for a debate on it. Once that is published, this House in particular should have good opportunities to debate that issue with the Minister.

Senator McCormack has brought up STEM research and funding a number of times. It is getting very close to 23 June. I can understand her frustration. She said she has put it down as a Commencement matter but the Minister has not come in. We will try to sort that out. I am not sure of the full details of it. I know the Senator is very genuine on the matter. The Senator raised the incredible achievements of a school and said that wants to make sure the funding continues.

Senator Fitzpatrick spoke in relation to Inner City Enterprise, or ICE as she called it. I was worried about what she was going to talk about when she mentioned the word "ICE", but it is in a positive sense for once. They do phenomenal work. The social enterprise fund is there, in conjunction with Dublin City Council, to support people who have ambition and want to achieve their dream. It is great that phase 2 was launched this morning by the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and is supported by big tech companies here in Dublin to support that area. The Senator has always been an advocate for that.

Senator Cathal Byrne welcomed his staff. I think we all agree that we would be lost without our staff. That is for sure. He called for a debate in the Seanad with the Minister for higher education. I do not think we have had such a debate for quite some time, so I think there is an opportunity to do that. He outlined a really good example. Due to the housing infrastructure fund that has been put in place, and the fact that the Government is prioritising infrastructure right across the country, there is now approval for a 3 km road from Wexford town to the site where the Wexford campus of the South East Technological University is going to be. Now the responsibility is obviously on the college to deliver that campus. We need to have an update on that. It is not ideal if we are building the infrastructure around it but we still do not know when the actual campus is going to be built. I know this is a key priority for the Senator and for Wexford town.

Senator Clonan referred to the cost-of-living crisis in the context of this morning's meeting of the disability committee. I understand his genuine concern about the disability payment. As the Senator said, as public representatives we all understand the fear and distress that people go through when they are literally trying to make ends meet and have so many payments and costs because of a particular disability. We have done quite a lot but as a State we need to do better. We can do better and we will do better in supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our country. I will make sure that we ask for a debate with the Minister on that for the Senator.

Senator Rory Gallagher - sorry, I was thinking of the musician - Senator Robbie Gallagher spoke about-----