I am pleased to see Senator Byrne in the Leader’s chair. I wish him well in that job. I also wish him well in his new position as Government Whip.

There are three items I wish to discuss today. First is the exempt development regulations, which are being covered extensively in the media. We know the committee met last night to discuss these regulations and they are before the Dáil today. We expect they will be before the Seanad tomorrow. There is much talk about these exempt development regulations. They have gone through a process, whatever issues anyone has about them. What I want to renew today, however, is a call for the Minister to release the 900 public consultation submissions to the exempt development public consultation process. A mockery is being made of the public consultation process. I know from my engagement with both the Department and the Minister that over 900 submissions to the consultation process were received. No Member or parliamentarian will have had the opportunity to consider the anonymised version of these consultations, which contain many good suggestions in favour of the regulations and many concerns in the contrary. It is a mockery that no one can see the content, however. I do not seek the names of individuals or the geographical spread.

I once again call on the Minster to release those submissions. He is no stranger to this appeal because I have been engaging with him in this regard. He is fully aware of it. I can confirm that last week, as I was getting no progress, I submitted a number of freedom of information, FOI, requests. The Department has confirmed it has received all of those requests. This will come about through that process. It is for the Minister to decide. Maybe he will do so tomorrow when the regulations are dealt with. However, when Senators are in this Chamber discussing these regulations tomorrow, they will have no sight of any constituent who made a submission. That is my first item.

Second, I thank the Minister for education, Deputy Naughton, for organising a formal briefing today on the planning and building unit and its overview for 2026-27. It is an important opportunity for Oireachtas Members to attend today, given that issues around school building programmes are a regular occurrence.

I also commend the IFA, which is carrying out an engagement process for Oireachtas Members in relation to budget 2027 in the Mansion House this afternoon. That is an important process. I said to IFA representatives last night that I would flag it here. Everyone will have received a copy of its submission. Hopefully, many of us will meet each other in the Mansion House this afternoon where we will be discussing the IFA’s critical suggestions and proposals – that is all they are – for agriculture in the context of budget 2027.