I ask the Leader to outline the Order of Business.

Thanks very much, a Chathaoirligh. May I also be associated with your comments about former Senator Enda Bonner, who served his community in Donegal very well, especially Glenties? He was a Senator for five years from 1997 to 2002. All our thoughts are with Phyllis and his family at this difficult time.

As you said, a Chathaoirligh, we acknowledge Senator Craughwell on the very sad passing of Helen during the summer. I think we all knew it was going to be a difficult summer. I know that looking above, she would be delighted that you, Senator, are back where you love being and putting pressure on us. We were thinking of you during the summer; we all were.

The Order of Business is No. 72(6), motion regarding the notice of a vacancy in the membership of Seanad Éireann, to be taken on the conclusion of the Order of Business without debate; No. 1, motion regarding the arrangements for the address to Seanad Éireann by MEPs representing the European Parliament Dublin constituency on Wednesday, 23 September 2026 to be taken on the conclusion of No. 72(6) without debate; No. 2, Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) (Amendment) Bill 2026 - Second Stage, to be taken at 4 p.m. and to conclude at 5.30 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; and Nos. 3 and 4, motions regarding proposed approval by Seanad Éireann of a proposal for a Council Decision on the conclusion of the agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Korea on the transfer of passenger name record data for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of terrorist offences and serious crime; and proposed approval by Seanad Éireann of a proposal for a Council Decision on the signing on behalf of the European Union of the agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Korea on the transfer of passenger name record data for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of terrorist offences and serious crime, to be taken at 5.30 p.m. and to conclude after 60 minutes, if not previously concluded, the motions shall be discussed together with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed five minutes, all Senators not to exceed five minutes and the Minister to be given no less than five minutes to reply to the debate.

I will also be moving a motion of sympathy at the end of the debate.

Thank you. Anois, Senator O'Loughlin.

Go raibh maith agat a Chathaoirligh. I thank the Leader for the Order of Business as outlined, which I support.

I extend on behalf of the Fianna Fáil group our deepest sympathies to Phyllis, Elaine, Patrick and Elizabeth on the passing of Enda, who was an exemplary Senator but also a very effective and committed county councillor for the Glenties area for 20 years. He was incredibly committed to his community and to his political family. He excelled in everything he did, whether that was at a community level, a political level or at a football level, where his greatest pride was wearing his county jersey. He was a cousin of Packie Bonner and this was something he was incredibly proud of. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

I also extend our sympathies to our colleague Senator Craughwell. As we approached recess we knew Helen was very ill, but the difference now is that she is gone and I know that is a huge void in your life, Senator Craughwell, and our very deepest sympathies and thoughts go to you.

I also extend my sympathies to the Leader’s secretary, Orla Murray, who lost her brother Brian very closely after the loss of her mother Joy. We extend our very deepest sympathy to Orla, who keeps us all in check and order.

I want to mention the Committee of the Regions, which is a really important organisation in which councillors right across Europe get a say in all the legislation that goes through the European Parliament. We have an excellent cross-party group of councillors. Gillian Coughlan is the leader and an exemplary one. The Committee of the Regions is having its bureau meeting in Mullingar today. Its members are going to the Custom House and they are going to be in Leinster House tomorrow. I really want to congratulate Gillian. She is the incoming leader of the Renew Europe group on the Committee of the Regions. She is the first Irish person to take that role. It is an incredible one, so the very best of luck to Gillian and, of course, to the Irish delegation going forward.

I congratulate Anna May, Anne Marie and everybody who was involved in the ploughing in Screggan. It was a fantastic microcosm of Irish life. We are all thrilled in Rathangan that it is coming to my home village and we are looking forward to giving everybody an incredible welcome. We will work really hard to make sure that happens.

The final point I want to bring up relates to solar farms and my concern that there is no national policy on them. There are many different applications and they vary across the 31 local authorities. The Departments of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and Climate, Energy and the Environment are working to develop a national planning statement on solar energy but there does not seem to be an urgency around this. We see applications coming in right across the country. Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands have a matrix for the use of land. We need a single framework that would standardise solar farms and solar farm applications.

I would also very much like to pass on my condolences to Senator Craughwell. I spoke to him during the summer just before his wife passed away. It must be hard, but I am delighted to see him back here.

Today, I welcome the very positive changes announced yesterday to the hot school meals programme. These changes show what can happen when Government listens to parents, principals, teachers, children and those delivering the programme on the ground. A few months ago, I ran a survey and received over 8,000 responses. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, also conducted a survey and thousands of responses came in. A lot of work has been done on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Youth, of which I am a member. Through that work, we heard so much feedback. I am glad that feedback has been taken on board and changes are coming. One of the strongest messages we and the Minister heard was the need for greater choice, particularly the option of a hot or cold lunch. I am very pleased that this been addressed and from September 2027, there will be an option for children to have a hot or cold lunch. I also strongly welcome specially adapted menus for special schools and special classes, robust nutritional compliance audits with consequence for standards that are not being met and different portion sizes for different age groups because, quite simply, a sixth-class student should not be receiving the same portion as a child in junior infants. We are also going to see the procurement process examined and recipes revised. These are all very positive and practical changes. We sometimes forget how far this programme has actually come. It began as a pilot in 2017 in just 35 schools and is now in 3,200 schools, with 550,000 children benefiting every day.

We also need to remember why this matters. I was in a school in my hometown of Navan last week and the principal said to me that the children in the school are absolutely starving. Is that not heartbreaking to hear in 2026? While there are improvements being made and this announcement shows we are making them, we must also recognise the enormous positive impact of the scheme. Perfection must not become the enemy of good. This programme gives children equal access to food regardless of his or her family circumstances and that is something of which we should be incredibly proud. I also want to build on this by making sure the holiday hunger programme reaches as many children as possible next summer and that we are looking at providing support during Christmas and Easter holidays too.

Finally, I acknowledge and thank the Minister, Deputy Calleary. I am glad I got to thank him personally today. I also commend the Minister, Deputy Naughton, all the people behind the scenes, such as the interdepartmental working group, and everyone working to improve this scheme.

This has been a positive step forward. Let us keep listening, improving and, most important, feeding our children.

I want to be associated with the words of condolences from everyone to my colleague, Senator Craughwell.

Anyone who listened to Claire Byrne's programme this morning and who has seen the "RTÉ Investigates" programme, which has now been taken down, will appreciate that the people involved in this major controversy are credible, well-motivated and truthful citizens. I have met on a number of occasions with Luke Rochford, Detective Superintendent Brian O'Reilly, Dr. Donal Corcoran, Rose Sweeney and Alan Kearney, and I am 100% satisfied that these are genuine and patriotic servants of the Irish State. I predicted that Garda management would attempt to cover up this major scandal, only part of which is in the public domain. Indeed, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions sent two missives to RTÉ even before the broadcast of the programme.

What we are concerned with here is the abuse of Garda power on a major scale. A young Irish soldier with an exemplary record in the Defence Forces armoury raised concerns with colleagues within the Garda and with people outside the Garda about major abuses in the Garda armoury and firearms sections at Garda headquarters. These abuses concerned not merely the dangerous storage of firearms and explosives, but issues such as the procurement of ammunition and the supply of equipment to An Garda Síochána. He was warned against speaking to other persons about his concerns and his position was threatened by his superiors. The matters he was concerned with were very serious. They included the procurement of €500,000 worth of grossly defective and dangerous ammunition in respect of which, remarkably, the Irish taxpayer bore the brunt of the €120,000 cost of destruction. His complaints also concerned improper travel and entertainment perks offered by suppliers to Garda personnel in Italy, which included wining and dining, a visit to a nightclub and, subsequently, to a brothel.

He raised the dubious procurement of hugely defective holsters, which have now been withdrawn on safety grounds, but not before the very serious injury of Detective Garda Connell while protecting the Israeli Embassy, who, for his trouble, was subjected to disciplinary actions by his superiors.

He also raised the authorisation of the use of Garda funds to carry out work on weapons possessed by a gun club, one of whose members was the son of his Garda superior, and the importation of parts for that purpose on foot of fraudulent documentation submitted to the Department of justice by persons within the Garda firearms section. None of these people involved in that matter have been suspended or disciplined.

For his trouble, he was arrested by members of An Garda Síochána publicly at a five-a-side football match, made to lie on the ground, had his hands handcuffed behind him and was detained under the Offences Against the State Act and brought to Irishtown Garda station. His locker had previously been opened and pages of notes in which he had detailed his concerns were ripped from a notebook there. A later staged opening of his locker was photographed by members of the Garda technical branch.

The home of his former commanding officer in the Defence Forces were searched under the Offences Against the State Act. The officer also has an exemplary record and had been selected for appointment as Captain of the Guard in Leinster House but his Garda security clearance was withdrawn and he was denied his due promotion in the Defence Forces until the intervention of the Ombudsman for the Defence Forces.

The efforts of Rose Sweeney and Donal Corcoran to have the holster protected disclosure of Luke Rochford properly investigated using Colonel Ray Lane, a highly respected Army officer, were then illegally countermanded by the then Commissioner, as has now been openly admitted by the current deputy commissioner. The careers of honourable decent people in Ireland have been blighted and destroyed. I am profoundly shocked by what I know and have learned.

I raised some of these issues on the record of this House on 17 July last year, the last day of the previous term, and was assured by the then Leader that the new Commissioner and Minister for justice would address these matters. These issues need to be fully and independently investigated in order that public confidence in An Garda Síochána and its supervision at force and governmental level can be examined independently.

As Members are aware, Standing Order 52 covers the issue around adverse effects on people who are not here to defend and speak for themselves. Standing Order 53(8) also talks about the public interest.

I understand that Members will raise issues here under public interest for the citizens of Ireland who may raise issues. On the other hand, they may be on the receiving end of adverse effects upon them for speaking up on behalf of people or on issues that they feel need to be raised. When Members raise issues they will take the public interest into account. Due to the privilege they have here as Members of this House they are allowed to speak openly and freely and not suffer any adverse consequences, while taking into account the balance they have to strike in relation to any statements they make in this House. The public interest is always the one that people keep to the fore in their thoughts when they are discussing issues here.

I join with those who have offered condolences to former Senator Bonner's family and to our colleague, Senator Craughwell, on his sad loss over the course of the past number of weeks.

During the summer season, most people expect that political debate goes to bed but in relation to issues of our Constitution and the future on this island, the debate was very much alive over the latter days of the summer, should that be the foolish remarks of the new Prime Minister, Mr. Burnham, in dismissing the prospect of a unity referendum, or the remarks of the American President when he was visiting here. His remarks are not anything to build any solid foundation on but nonetheless those remarks, and his preference and offered support for reunification in Ireland, had the effect of elevating that debate and discussion onto an international level. It very much reflects the bipartisan support there always has been in the United States, not just for the peace process in Ireland but for constitutional change in Ireland.

Following that, the development between my own party, the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru also had the effect of elevating that debate in Britain where it very much needs to be heard because it is not just a question of our constitutional future. There is a real question now over the constitutional future of Britain itself, which has been advanced. We have made it very clear. Unfortunately, there was an attempt to misrepresent this. We are all on different paths regarding this. The future of constitutional change in Ireland is not contingent on anything happening in Scotland or Wales or vice versa. The arrangement we have with them is a long-standing one. Other parties in this State had it in previous times gone by. It also reflects the nature that in the event of constitutional change, both in Ireland and Britain, we need to maintain those relationships right across these islands and have productive working relationships together. The attempt by the Taoiseach to misrepresent that was unfortunate but given where he is in this space, I get that he tends to react in a hostile way to anyone else discussing the issue of unity.

On a more negative note, we also had the development of the attempt to bring us back into the past in the North where the leadership of the Orange Order and leaders of political unionism want to revisit the Drumcree issue of a march along the Garvaghy Road, which is something that has been settled for almost 30 years. It is something that has caused real concern and trauma for those who lived through that experience back in the nineties when significant loss of life was attached to the attempts to force a parade down the Garvaghy Road. I hope that wise heads will prevail in the Parades Commission and that we do not have a decision to try to force a parade along the Garvaghy Road. It would be hugely detrimental to all that we have achieved over the past number of years. The Taoiseach has an invitation to meet with the residents of the Garvaghy Road. I hope that he takes that up and recognises there is a contribution to made here. I ask that the Leader ensures that senior Government Ministers remain engaged on this process and issue because it has a potential for setting us back some way in the North.

I lend my support to the condolences as well, particularly to Senator Craughwell.

Over the past few days, and throughout August, we had consistent attacks on the International Criminal Court, ICC, by Trump's Administration, most recently with the plan to have sweeping sanctions against the entire court. It is an incredibly troubling escalation and attack on our international justice mechanisms. They are effectively aiming to dismantle the systems and the institutions of international law and take a sledgehammer to the whole concept of a rules-based order. These new measures would severely undermine the work of the court with the ICC president, who is already under sanction, warning that they could jeopardise the court's very existence.

ICC officials have warned that court-wide sanctions would disrupt things like IT, insurance, empowering investigators and routine transactions such as paying US-based employees. This constitutes yet another egregious overreach and naked attack on international law from the Trump Administration. In July, Marco Rubio explicitly set out the intent to systematically disable the ICC’s ability to operate. We have already seen how the Trump Administration has weaponised sanctions against individuals, including several of the court’s judges. These sanctions were retaliatory measures for the ICC’s work regarding the actions of US personnel in Afghanistan and, indeed, the issuance of the arrest warrant against Netanyahu for the genocide in Gaza. We have to stand up to this. We have to stand up to these attempts to undermine our international systems.

The Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy McEntee are attending the UN General Assembly this week. I call on both of them to take actual action to draw a line under these attacks from the US and through our European Presidency role, introduce a blocking statute to protect EU citizens who are under sanctions by the US. We have been calling for this for a while. It does not seem like anything is being done to push this forward. This is crucial to stopping the tide of the impact of these sanctions. Otherwise, there is no accountability for international war crimes, the heinous genocide in Gaza or those committed historically in places like Rwanda, Sierra Leon or Kosovo. We are saying it does not matter anymore. That is what Trump is trying to do because he himself is trying to hide from accountability and justice. It is urgent and crucial that in the next three or four months, while we retain the Presidency of the EU, we really push for the EU blocking mechanism to be put in place and, more broadly, call the US's actions out very clearly to the Government.

On behalf of the Civil Engagement Group, CEG, I too send condolences to the family of Enda Bonner and especially our own colleague, Senator Craughwell, and his family. It has been a tough road for him and our thoughts are with him. I also send condolences to Orla Murray on the loss of her brother.

The last time I spoke in the Chamber was just before the summer recess to mark the passage of the Government’s version of the Occupied Territories Bill. It was a very significant step after so many years of work by many fantastic activists and organisations. However, as I and many of my colleagues made clear at that time, it was also a missed opportunity. The Government's ban will prohibit the import of physical goods from illegal Israeli settlements and I welcome the fact that the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade signed the commencement order last week. However, for the ban to actually take effect, it requires a second Statutory Instrument from her to designate relevant postcodes taken from EU level. I would like for the Government to update this House on when that will happen. It would be really great if the Minister could come in and give us an update on that.

More importantly, despite recognising that this is an obligation under international law and the ICJ advisory opinion, the legislation banned only physical goods and did not cover trade, services and investment. The Minister told this House that she recognises that this is necessary and will push for it to be done at EU level. There have been many developments over the summer that are important. First, Ursula von der Leyen and the European Commission have made it crystal clear that they will not come forward with a proposal to ban trade with settlements, never mind one that goes further than individual member states that have acted already and whose legislation includes services. If that is the Government's strategy to meet these legal obligations, it is clear that it will not happen. However, It was encouraging earlier this month to see a joint statement by a long list of countries stating that they are going to move ahead with national level bans, including France, Canada and the UK, which pledged to include provisions on services just like Spain and Norway. We can see here the benefit of Ireland acting and showing leadership, despite what several Ministers told me over many years – and I mean several. We have not been left isolated. Other countries are now following. However, we also see there is much more for us to do. With the right political will, we can do as others are doing, and include services. I would like the Minister to update the House on the Government's response to these very important developments.

I also extend my condolences to the family of the late Senator Enda Bonner, and to my colleague in the Seanad, Senator Craughwell, on the passing of his beloved Helen. May her gentle soul rest in peace.

I raise something that I have raised in the past in the Chamber, the proliferation of vape shops across the country. There is a particular impetus at the moment because there are so many issues, such as heritage, health and legal considerations. We need a timely debate in the Chamber. I raised it at the Fianna Fáil think-in. I was delighted that the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, picked up on it and said that we have to seriously look at them. We have to look at whether the vapes themselves should be on our streets. How many vape shops do we need in every town? They are popping up on every street corner. In my hometown of Drogheda, we are into the multiple figures. We have four of them in one street. It is the same with nail bars, mobile phone shops and all of those kinds of shops. How many do we need? They need to be seriously examined. Many vape shops are masquerading as sweet shops. They are now being called "candy stores". We have obesity problems with our children. We know that some of those who are pushing sweets to bring children into their shops are selling these products to those who are under age. We have made that illegal here and we have also made it illegal to sell HHC products. I know from speaking to many people, particularly in my hometown and county, that they are still being sold over the counter quite openly. The shops are being raided again and again, and we do not seem to be able to close them. A timely debate is needed with the Minister for justice or the Minister for Health. I know that the Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor, has worked incredibly hard on this issue. We need to look at how many we need. Do we need to bring Revenue in to see whether some of them are legitimate? I know some of them are. I am not anti-business, but surely we can come up with better quality shops for our towns and cities.

I pass on my condolences to Senator Craughwell on the death of his wife and also to Phyllis and the Bonner family. Enda was a man who I knew fairly well. He served on the council along with my father years ago. We had many chats. Believe it or not, during the last chat I had with him about six months ago he told me what I was doing wrong and how he was only putting me right. I thank him for those kind words. We also lost a superstar in Donegal during the summer. I send my condolences to the McHugh and O'Donnell families, and especially to Emma and Eoin, on the deaths of James and Noreen McHugh, who sadly lost their lives over the summer. James was part of the 1992 panel. He really was one of the superstars who brought Sam to Donegal.

Over the summer I travelled to fishing ports over the length and breadth of this country. The frustration that is out there is unreal. It is coming from fishermen and fisherwomen all over this country. I cannot put it into words without getting really mad. I know from talking to inshore fishermen, factory owners and pelagic boat owners that they are all feeling the pain. I know the fuel support scheme came in and there is money left. It needs to be drawn down. We need the Minister to get us answers. We need to get answers on where the Berkery report is at. When will it be published? When can we see it? Where are the port listings for Killybegs? We were told before Christmas that the port listings for Killybegs had been applied for, but I heard today that they have not been applied for. Other countries like Denmark had it within three months. Simple things can make a big difference to coastal communities. Where is the brown crab consultation process at? This issue with brown crab has been going on for years now. We need to get that sorted. Are we going to stand up and fight for Ireland on the Hague preferences or we are just going to roll over as usual? We need our people out fighting for this. All I have heard since I entered politics is about the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, CFP. We need to be doing more than reforming it. We need to get it sorted out. I am sorry, a Chathaoirligh, but it is time for action. We have heard enough words being spoken for the last while. We need action on this.

I thank everybody for their offers of condolence and in particular my group which stood by me for the three months that Helen was in hospital and the hospice.

It is a pretty shocking thing when you get notice and are told you likely have a year ahead of you, when that year shrinks to a couple of weeks.

Over the next couple of Orders of Business there are a number of things I want to address. Helen was very accepting of her fate and she set about planning everything to do with the end of her life. That included such things as enduring power of attorney, the advanced health declaration form, the hospice itself and how she wanted her final burial carried out. It was extraordinary at times to visit her in the hospice and find the level of good humour I found. She was still able to take the mick out of people and to deal with some of the horrendous things that were confronting her. Her love of her children and her grandchildren was palpable all of the time. The one thing she was adamant I would do was to use the office I have to point out some of the issues that families encounter at this time.

Some of these are issues we all should be thinking about today and are some of the things we should be doing in preparation for the end of our own lives. None of us knows when we get up in the morning that we will go to bed that night or when we go to bed at night that we will get up the following morning. It takes a person of extraordinary courage and strength to sit down, having been given her diagnosis, to engage with me on things like the kind of music she wanted for her funeral. One of the amusing things she said to me at the time was "I wonder will Micheál Martin attend my funeral". I laughed and said there was no chance of that. She said, "What about the Defence Forces? You spend your life talking about them. Will I get a guard of honour?" I said I doubted that very much. I remember the day before we went to the church the funeral directors contacted me saying they needed to talk about protocols. I asked what protocols they meant and they said the Taoiseach was going to be represented at my wife's funeral. I said, "Jesus, do not do that to me, she will sit up." The Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces and the Ceann Comhairle were represented, and many Members of this House and the Lower House contacted me. It was in the middle of holiday season and people were away and not able to attend, but there is a massive comfort in having people come to you at a time like this and sympathise with you.

Looking around the Chamber here now, I do not think any of us can possibly understand what it is like. I went away for a week to try to clear my head once everything was over. I came back at 10 o'clock on a Friday night and turned the key in my front door. I walked in the door and the silence was deafening. I walked into the conservatory and switched on the TV set and the bloody sound would not work. I looked towards the heavens and I said, "You really are having a laugh now, aren't you?" At the end of the day, that silence is there every day. Her beloved dog, Pickles, is in the house, and the lazy so-and-so will not move himself. He just curls up in a ball and lies down. Every now and then he goes out and looks up the stairs to see what is happening and comes back in and sits down, but for company I would be better off with a teddy bear.

I really do thank colleagues and over the coming days I want to deal with those things, such as enduring power of attorney, the advanced health declaration and the hospice. When we were told Helen was going to the hospice I thought "death". Never once did anybody in the hospice mention the words "die", "death" or anything like that. Thursday night in Our Lady's Hospice in Harold's Cross is the place to be if you fancy a drink and a bit of music because the bar opens and it is a great night. I will leave it at that and will come back on the other stuff over the next few days.

I thank Senator Craughwell for sharing that very intimate final few weeks and days of his wife's journey on this earth and his support for her.

This summer finally saw Horse Sport Ireland, HSI, enter examinership and, finally, the rest of the country knew what those in the sector have been saying for many years, namely that HSI is, in fact, an impediment to the growth of a sector that the examiner, Joe Walsh, has said is worth in excess of €1 billion annually and employs upwards of 20,000 people.

We are not likely to hear again from those behind the examinership process until early October. However, many within the sector were taken aback by comments from Ross Gorman, counsel for the examiner, who said there was a distinct possibility that they may be able to salvage HSI. He spoke about broad consultation with directors, senior executives, employees, creditors, Revenue, bankers and other stakeholders.

I want to try to give voice to the people who are very much at the heart of the €1 billion industry every year. These are the breeders and horse owners, the man with one horse, the man who might have one foal a year and the people who have given blood, sweat and tears to this industry over the years. It is important that their voice be heard.

For the past four years, HSI has been bedevilled by controversy, all of its own making. As far back as October 2022, the board split amid CEO controversy. In November 2022, there was an attempted removal of the CEO, six directors resigned, and there were reports of a €650,000 severance package and settlements. In 2023, five former staff took court cases against HSI in just two years. In October 2023, there were reports of hurdles remaining for HSI after the boardroom fallout the previous year. Fast forward to July 2024 and divisions deepened between HSI and affiliates. In 2024, we had the absolute calamity of the passport and IT failure, when we saw a complete breakdown in the issuing of passports for foals and new horses. In 2025, showjumpers revolted. In October 2025, there had been more bullying complaints and eventing owners had complained. In front of our eyes, we saw a much-loved sector literally falling apart under the gaze of an organisation that is heavily funded by the Government to support and promote the sector. Finally, in August 2026 there was the financial crisis and the entry into examinership.

No other State-funded organisation or affiliate has undergone such a barrage of criticism and damning reportage over a four-year period. The facts are telling and beyond question. The facts cannot be ignored. This examinership process presents the perfect opportunity to finally disband HSI before it can do any more damage.

I referred earlier to Standing Order 52 in relation to utterances in the House and the public interest. I realise many of the issues raised here today are in the public domain and many of the names mentioned are also in the public domain, having been reported in the media and dealt with by committees. I just want to make sure Members strike the balance between the public interest and people's right to their good name.

I too would like to be associated with the expressions of sympathy, particularly to my colleague Senator Gerard Craughwell on the sad passing of his wife, Helen.

I want to raise the issue of the school bus transport system because, since the beginning of August, I have been inundated with communications from distressed parents over the fact that their children have not received school bus tickets for the return to school. Some children who had tickets for several years were suddenly left with no place on the bus. Some of the parents were not even notified by email or anything like that. They saw on the portal, when they went to check whether a ticket had been issued, that they were going to receive a refund. In many cases, both parents are working. They have to pay the cost of living, mortgages and so forth.

In many cases, there are very easy fixes. In several instances, there is a small bus doing a run that, if replaced with 24-, 33- or 52-seater, or whatever the case may be, would accommodate all of the students on statutory tickets who have been left without tickets for this school term. It would not cost very much. It would still be the case that only one driver would be paid. There might be a slight increase in the cost of fuel, but that is it.

The whole system is in disarray. A school transport review was carried out, which took years. The report was published in 2024 and, from what I can see, none of its recommendations has been implemented, even though the Government said it would take them on board and make the changes over the period 2024 to 2030.

Nothing has happened. I cannot see any capacity increases. The distance rules have not been changed. The necessity to attend the nearest school to be deemed eligible has not changed. It is something that needs to be addressed. School transport is essential for many families. It also gives a very good life pattern for young people in that they get into the habit of using public transport, which is important for the environment and to reduce our emissions.

I am calling on both Ministers and the Department of Education and Youth to address this issue once and for all, so we do not see a repeat every year. We need to address the shortages that exist now for those students who have been left without any transport. It cannot be allowed to happen again and again. There are some easy fixes. They have the review. What needs to happen is given. That review must be implemented without any delay.

I begin by passing my condolences to Senator Craughwell on the passing of his wife. I apologise I missed the funeral over the summer. I was not around.

I concur with the expressions from the Chair in relation to my former colleague Enda Bonner, who was a former Member of the House. Rather than trying to address all that Enda was in the small amount of time left for me, I ask that time be allocated on our agenda at a stage when we can invite his family here to hear the expressions of sympathy, as has been afforded to other Members in the past. I propose that to the House.

My colleague, Senator Manus Boyle, mentioned the sad passing in west Donegal, which is his neck of the woods, of James and Noreen McHugh. I attended the wake also and met Manus there that day. Such a sad scene I have never witnessed at a funeral or a wake, where two coffins were side by side. I send my condolences for the loss to all the people in west Donegal and all the GAA family in Donegal on the passing of Enda and James.

I am sure the Leader will provide time in the Order of Business in the coming weeks, in conjunction with the families and Members from Donegal, to ensure we have expressions of sympathy for the former Senator to give people more time to put on the record his great service to this House, to Donegal and to Ireland.

I also express my condolences to Senator Craughwell on his sad loss and also to the family of former Senator Enda Bonner from Donegal.

Another summer has gone by and Carrabane National School in east Galway is still in limbo when it comes to its new-build primary school. It is disappointing to be back here, with kids back at school for yet another school year, and still have that bit of uncertainty around the future of those students and where they are going to be located in the coming months and years. They literally just need the letter of intent. They have gone through the entire school-build process from start to finish twice. They had to go back to square one on the planning permission and went through it a second time. This is decades in the making to get to the point where they can hopefully get diggers on the ground in the coming weeks. Even the planning and building unit, PBU, in a joint Oireachtas committee, admitted that this is an exceptionally long process that has been drawn out and that the people in the local area should not have had to go through the timeframe they have had to go through.

Builders do not magically appear on site. There is a lead-in time where they have to plan out their first steps once they get on site. As we head into the winter months, we urgently need to get them on site as quickly as possible. It is just to get that letter of intent issued to the people locally and give them certainty that their school is finally being built. They are crying out for it and we have gone on so long that I have had to raise this numerous times in the House. People are really frustrated. I would like to see this happen immediately. If we have to talk to the Minister to talk through why there are such delays in this process causing such anger in the community, that could be something we have to look at.

I wish to raise the issue of wind energy guidelines. Tonight, in Killalaghton Hall there will be a meeting of the public to discuss the proposed wind farm in their area, for people in Killalaghton and the neighbouring parishes like Mullagh and Kiltormer. It is 20 years since 2006 when wind energy guidelines were last updated. Since then, the average size of a windmill has gone from 70 m to upwards of 180 m, which is huge and nearly a trebling of the size of a windmill that is then put into a local community. There is uncertainty out there. People want clarity on what the new rules are going to be. They want them urgently so there is a process in place, people know where they stand, and that there is a very clear process by which companies get the go-ahead to put windmills and wind farms into communities, especially in east Galway, where we see a huge influx of applications for planning permission for them.

I also want to be associated with the expressions of sympathy today, particularly to my colleague, on Helen. Suaimhneas síoraí dá hanam dílis.

I welcome the transition year student who is on placement with me from Summerhill College in Sligo, who is very welcome.

We are going to be speaking about budget submissions. I went to the recent ESRI report conference about poverty, income inequality and living standards. The question of how we measure poverty came up. The Taoiseach was disputed or there was confusion about how we measure poverty. The Taoiseach was cited as saying that the rate of children living in consistent poverty has actually gone down, but it fact it has been rising when we take housing costs into account. I would hope that any debate we are having here over the next couple of weeks, when we are looking at budgets, will include relative income poverty and how much spending power people actually have. This report lines up with the CSO statistics as well. When we are measuring poverty, we see that one in five children lives below the poverty line. When we look at the amount of income people have left after being able to afford new shoes or a decent coat to spend on going out for leisure activities or after-school costs, we see that one in five children in Ireland is living in poverty. Over the years, housing costs have been overlooked in the measurement of poverty. Children who are most at risk of living in poverty are those whose families are in private rented accommodation or in receipt of the housing assistance payment. Their disposable income is left too low and they are left with nothing at the end of the month. Over the next few weeks when we are looking at budget submissions, I hope housing will be included when we are considering children living in poverty.

I share in the sympathies of all Members with Senator Craughwell on his sad loss. I know that he provided loving care; may his wife rest in peace. I am very sorry for his loss. I would also like to extend my condolences to the Bonner family and support Senator Blaney's request for time for the family to be allowed to come to the House and for an appropriate tribute to be made to the former Senator Enda Bonner.

It is a great privilege for all of us to be back here after the recess. I was nominated by RGDATA, which represents all the small, independent Irish retailers. The Leader will be aware that over the term of this Oireachtas, I have raised many times the burden of the increasing cost of doing business on small, independent enterprises. They are the backbone of employment, community and service right around the country. Over the summer the Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, launched the report on the cost of doing business. It was a result of the work of his Department and all the stakeholders. I commend everyone who contributed to that report. We are hearing all the time about increasing costs and the cost of living. Small businesses have experienced energy cost increases of almost 50%, while insurance costs have increased by over 26% and labour costs by over 15%. These are real costs which in many cases are preventing the businesses from growing, expanding their services or even being sustained. I would like the Minister to be invited to the House at the very earliest opportunity to outline the Government's priorities. There were 63 recommendations to improve the ability of small business and enterprises to compete, not just here in Ireland but internationally. I would like the Minister to outline to the House how the Government intends to prioritise the 63 recommendations and how their implementation will be monitored.

All Members will be familiar with the murder, in the not-too-distant past on our neighbouring island, of two parliamentarians, Jo Cox and Sir David Amess.

During the summer past, we had Ann Widdecombe, a former MP, and last week, unfortunately, in our own State, a serious assault on a Member of the Lower House.

To protect against these things, the Government wisely brought in a scheme whereby people could enhance the security of their residences. Unfortunately, that has yielded up unintended consequences. During the summer the local radio station in Waterford, which was only doing its job, sent in a freedom of information request to the local authority asking for the names of councillors who availed of the grant. This was published with the names and addresses of the recipients and the amounts they drew down. For more unintended consequences, while highlighting the two who got the security grant, it also drew attention to the fact that 30 councillors were without security at their homes.

This is not the way things should happen with freedom of information. Councils must be cognisant of section 37 of the Freedom of Information Act, which forbids people giving out the address, location or personal details of third parties. It is an offence under that section to do so. Whenever the Leader or any Member of the House is interchanging with the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, or the Minister, Deputy Browne, will they ask that the Department sends out a circular to local authorities, reminding them of section 37 so that no councillor has to go through the ignominy of having their security threatened by that release of information?

I also extend my condolences to the family and friends of former Senator Enda Bonner, and to Senator Craughwell. It is a difficult time for him and it is great to see him back in the Chamber.

I was in the 3Arena on 1 August when a 31-year-old boxer, Lee Reeves, was fighting. It was a tough fight. Lee was stopped. It looked serious at the time but we only found out afterwards how serious it was. Lee is in a coma. He is breathing on his own but in desperate and urgent need of an operation. I have been in contact with his family and they are understandably devastated. Lee has had to have a section of his skull removed to allow for his brain to expand. It needs to be replaced but the operation has been cancelled twice. That is simply not good enough. The operation is needed as a matter of urgency.

Yesterday, Lee managed to partially open his eyes and to squeeze his father's hand when prompted. It is a very small step to recovery but at least it is something positive. The HSE needs to ensure this vital operation is carried out as a matter of urgency. There is a meeting with the Reeves family and medics in the Mater Hospital today. It is important for his recovery that Lee gets the operation. He needs a definite timeline. They cannot afford for it to be cancelled for a third time. The family is devastated. Lee is in a very delicate state of health. Will the Leader's office engage with the HSE to ensure the urgency of this operation is passed on? He is a young man, 31 years of age, with a big future ahead of him but it is vital he gets the treatment he needs now. Our thoughts remain with Lee and his family and we hope he makes a speedy and positive recovery.

I join my colleagues in expressing condolences to the friends and family of Enda Bonner - may he rest in peace - and to my colleague, Senator Gerard Craughwell, on the loss of his wife, Helen.

What I wish to speak about today is the story that was in The Irish Times this morning, where the president of the Irish Road Haulage Association, IRHA, warned that hauliers cannot sustain current fuel prices. When asked if there would be another round of protests, he said that desperate times make desperate people. As fuel prices continue to climb, regardless of Government taxes or not, I think it is fair to acknowledge that we are now in desperate times. Before anyone says that this is just one group of people representing one industry, it is not. Last week, a poll showed that if fuel prices continue to rise, a massive 60% to 66% of the Irish public would support a new round of protests. That is no surprise, because fuel protests do not just affect truck drivers. Everything in this country relies on fuel and energy prices. If anything goes up, the ordinary working people of Ireland are already on a knife's edge. All of Europe is reporting record high fuel prices. The Middle East is in crisis, as there looks to be no resolution with Iran and the Saudi Government is cancelling its oil shipments. While I naturally believe that the Government should delay the taxes, this is a stop-gap solution. What this entire crisis says is that we need a total overhaul of our energy policy. I will repeat my call from before. I think we need to go further and scrap fuel taxes altogether, and we need to invest our current surplus into serious long-term infrastructure such as public transport, roads, railways, and even nuclear energy, things that will pay us back in the long run. Most of all, I believe we need to seriously re-evaluate and scrap much of the eco-alarmist policies that have left our hands tied behind our backs at a time when we are fighting for our lives.

My condolences to Senator Gerard Craughwell. I thank him for sharing those details of his wife, Helen.

I am really delighted to be back. The most important issue and what I have been listening to people talking about in rural Ireland all over the summer and especially at the ploughing match in Screggan last week is the cost of fuels, including home heating oil, petrol and diesel. We are up at €2.20 a litre in the midlands for diesel. This cannot be sustained and green diesel has gone through the roof. Today, my colleague, Deputy Pearse Doherty, will bring legislation through the Dáil to cut the carbon tax on home heating oil and I really urge us to work together here. We have solutions. We know that families cannot take this any more. A full tank of home heating oil can now cost between €1,600 and €1,700. People in rural Ireland and all across Ireland cannot afford this, especially those in rural Ireland who rely on oil. We are thinking of our elderly people - pensioners - who cannot afford it. They are putting €100 or €200 worth of fuel in their tank and they cannot sustain it like this, on top of everything else that families are facing. In rural Ireland, people need fuel to go to work, the supermarket and to hospital appointments. We have to look at the overall tax that we have on fuel. I am asking the Government Senators here to urge their Government colleagues to support the legislation before us, and let us remove the carbon tax on home heating oil. We know that it can make a difference and it can be done now. People have to take to the streets to protest because they could not cope any more. We are going to see more of that and I support them 100% to peacefully protest because they cannot sustain the level at which the price of fuel is going up and how much tax is going into the Government's pockets and how much profit is being made here. We know that is as clear as day for everyone to see.

I also want to extend my condolences to Senator Craughwell on the passing of his wife. My condolences also to the family of Enda Bonner.

I want to talk about the issue of Bessborough, Cork. There have been significant developments in recent months in relation to this. We had a rally in July in Cork city with over 1,000 people attending from across the country. The evening before the rally, the Taoiseach said that he was going to intervene, which he did. Cork City Council is now engaging with the developer as a mediator has been appointed. That is where we are at but this issue is not going away.

I know that I will stand with campaigners all the way to ensure that this site is fully protected. We have to listen to survivors in terms of what the future of that site will become, whether it is a memorial or an educational institution. Survivors have to be at the heart of this. Just last week, Cork City Council, through Labour Party councillors led by Councillor Peter Horgan, unanimously passed a motion calling on the Government to unseal all the burial records and technical reports in relation to this site, and also for the Government to work with the Attorney General to open an inquest into the deaths that occurred at Bessborough. We know that Bessborough is just one of many institutions across the country. On “The Late Late Show” last Friday night, we saw Catherine Corless describe it as a mirror to what happened in Tuam. Siobhán McSweeney, the actor from Cork, said rightly that private developers cannot get in the way of our collective healing as a country. We need more answers from the Government on this. We need to ensure there is justice for all survivors, and that survivors are at the heart of any decisions in relation to Bessborough and other sites across the country.

I too wish to be associated with the condolences to Senator Gerard Craughwell on the death of his wife, Helen, and also to the family of former Senator Enda Bonner.

Since the last few weeks of August, my office has been dealing with the school bus ticket chaos, as I call it. We have parents contacting us who cannot get their children on the bus to school. It is the same story every year, with parents desperately trying to find a solution when school comes back, bus drivers threatening to walk off the job and empty buses travelling past children standing along the side of the road. I have been dealing with families from Crosskeys, Shercock, Tierlahood, Laragh and Lurgan and from Emyvale in County Monaghan. The stress on parents, especially on families where both parents are working, is unbearable. They cannot take time off work and rearrange their lives indefinitely to drive their children to school. Bus Éireann has been offering a refund, but that does not resolve the problem. I know of parents who are putting their children on buses with no tickets, which is extremely stressful for the children, who are terrified that a bus inspector will inspect them. That is not a solution. I raised this issue in 2021, when there was a review of the school bus scheme, and the same thing was happening then. We have had that scheme and, in my view, nothing has changed or been achieved. The solution is more capacity. Bus Éireann has confirmed to me that the Minister has not approved any additional capacity this year to date. The school year starts in September. However, Bus Éireann knows the figures at the end of May because the applications for bus tickets close at the end of May. It is unacceptable that we have this mess every year in the week or so before school starts, when people get notification at the very last minute. We should have the Minister in the House to discuss this.

I want to join in the expressions of condolence.

I agree on the issue of buses. I have been hearing about the school bus issues. I request that the Leader would arrange a debate in the House on public transport. Many people were shocked to see that at a time when we should be doubling down and increasing our public transport, when we know we are facing an environmental crisis and when fuel prices are going up, instead of increasing capacity in our public transport system, including our public school transport system, we are looking to increase the costs and increase the charges that people are paying. We have heard the statistics that when these costs increase, fewer people use public transport. It is a wildly counterintuitive measure to be taking at this time. I would like a debate on transport.

I also note that as we are coming back today, we can see the rooms filling up, but people are missing today as the schools and colleges start.

Students from Gaza who have full scholarships, are fully supported, have met every academic bar, have funding in order to attend colleges, have overcome unimaginable obstacles coming out of Gaza - a place where every university has been destroyed and bombed - and who have managed to achieve the offers of places and scholarships in Irish universities are being blocked by the Department of justice. I would like the Minister to come in to explain that issue. He could also explain his remarkable lack of progress on the issue of criminal legal aid.

I also note that we are moving the writ for the Seanad by-election. I care a lot about the Seanad and think it has an extraordinary contribution to make to politics. One thing I have seen over recent times that I regret is the fact that for two or three Seanads in the time I have been here, we moved from having Independent Members, civil society and voices from Northern Ireland and from the idea that we would try to bring a different sense of civil society, expert voices and diverse voices into the Seanad to contribute to the debate and scrutiny we carry out in terms of legislation. I would love if this by-election became an opportunity to bring back that focus on the voices that might be different, that might bring something different to the work we do and that might add something new to what we are doing. I believe the Seanad should not simply be a staging post for the Dáil and a focus on the Dáil. It is fine if people move their ambitions to the other House after being here but when we are collectively deciding on a new addition, it would be good if we were to think in terms of what will directly and specifically contribute to our collective work and be open to that idea.

As a Senator on the university panel, I wish to point out that between 2022 and 2024, our universities took in more than 10,000 additional students of whom 9,000 have arrived without the additional funding. I ran for the Seanad two years ago and one of my campaign messages was that universities should be properly funded. I certainly stand over that. I also see that education is the future of our youth. I know that since 2022, the Government has funded the gap, which was underfunded by €307 million per year. Budget decisions have cut the gap by more than half but university chairs are saying that they need extra funding as the deficit is over €250 million per year because pay awards are not fully funded and student numbers keep rising. State funding per student is around €8,000, which is 30% lower in real terms than in 2008.

I acknowledge the hard work of lecturers, research staff and everybody who carries that load. As we can see, the universities have not stood still. They have raised funds through philanthropy, loans and even the immigrant investor programme and the microcreds programme, and have brought in 600 more courses and reached over 20,000 learners. The Irish Universities Association is asking for an increase of €190 million in core funding in budget 2027 and that part of the near €2 billion surplus in the National Training Fund be unlocked for lifelong learning and reskilling. Our universities contribute over €10 billion per year to the economy. University chairs are warning that if that investment does not come, within ten years, FDI will go elsewhere so there is certainly a need for that. I ask that the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science comes to the House for a debate on university funding before then. I ask the Leader to use his offices to make that happen.

I also wish to be associated with the expressions of sympathy to Senator Craughwell and to say to him that we are thinking of him at the moment and have been thinking about him over recent times.

I stood here a number of months ago and expressed my disappointment at the fact that Lahinch Beach in County Clare lost its Blue Flag. The primary reason for this was the lack of a proper wastewater treatment facility in Lahinch-Ennistimon. The system was and is not fit for purpose.

There has been movement on the issue over the past couple of months but, sadly, that is where the good news stops. What is being proposed in the first instance is what we call the Cregg-Calluragh wastewater treatment facility. It is a secondary treatment plant whereas what is required at a minimum is a tertiary facility. The people who have decided this, in their wisdom, through their research, etc., maintain that at any point over the next 25 years, the Lahinch and Ennistimon area will not have more than 10,000 people who will use the facility, which I do not think is credible.

The other issue is its location. The neighbours and people whose land it is proposed to put this facility on are not happy. It is not good enough to dismiss it in any cavalier way and say that because it is in my land or my neighbourhood, I do not want it. That is not the case. These people live in the community, are part of it and work in it. They want to see a proper treatment plant the same as anybody else. However, there are concerns, including environmental, habitat and ecological concerns, and so on. The fairest and most ethical and moral stance to progress this project for Irish Water is to have a non-statutory public consultation, which will at least give people the opportunity to make submissions. My request to the Leader is that he would write to the Minister and request him to instruct Irish Water to launch a non-statutory public consultation so that the concerns of the public in the immediate area, and surrounding Lahinch and Ennistimon area, can be heard properly in an ethical framework and in a timely manner that is transparent in all its deliberations.

I offer my sincere condolences to the Bonner family on the sad passing of former Senator Enda Bonner and, of course, to our good friend and colleague, Senator Craughwell, on the sad passing of his dear wife over the summer. My thoughts and sympathies will be with Senator Craughwell in the difficult weeks and months ahead. I thank him for sharing his difficult story with us today.

Tomorrow will mark 75 years since the beginning of one of the longest droughts in sporting history. That was when Mayo beat Meath in the 1951 all-Ireland football final. I am glad to report that since we last convened, that drought and famine was lifted against the Cathaoirleach's county of Kerry.

We have already discussed it this morning but I congratulate the Senator.

We discussed it before the recess and there was an air of arrogance that has since been put to bed.

I admit that the Senator is not incorrect in his statement.

Mayo played and lost 11 finals. There was a lot of heartbreak and many near misses. There were a lot of great memories along the way. A lot of loved ones have since passed. For Mayo to be finally crowned all-Ireland champions has given the whole county and country, and our diaspora around the world, a brilliant lift, even among Kerry folk. I acknowledge and thank the Mayo players, team and staff, and the volunteers across the clubs of the county, who have given so much joy and happiness to young and old alike. They have handled themselves with incredible integrity and have been so generous with their time. They have been present at every school, hospice and hospital across the county. They have attended every fundraiser. They have answered the call. It is no wonder they are all-Ireland champions, given how they have handled themselves since the final whistle. I thank them. I would welcome the opportunity to have both teams visit Leinster House and the Houses of the Oireachtas. The Cathaoirleach can meet and eyeball them. He can welcome and acknowledge-----

I would be quite happy to welcome them to the Seanad.

As long as there is celebration.

The celebration has only begun.

We know.

I congratulate the 11 nominees for the all-star team, including Jack Carney and Ryan O'Donoghue, and Kobe McDonald and Darragh Beirne, who have been nominated for the young player of the year award.

It has been a brilliant summer of celebrations in Mayo. It will continue on into the winter and with our diaspora as well. I would encourage them to come to Leinster House and would welcome them letting us share in that with all Oireachtas Members who have Mayo connections.

I thank Andy Moran and all of the team. I was there when he came into Ballaghaderreen. I was thinking of the late John O'Mahony and all who have gone before us, who would love to have been there. The curse is finally over. The famine is over, as Stephen Grealish reminded us. For every young Mayo boy and girl, the spark has been lit and the dream is back alive. Mayo are back.

You see how gracious we are in Kerry that the Senator went way over time and I never even rang the bell once. I said, "You know what? If it only happens once every 75 years we can definitely give extra time on it". I said this morning that it was quite a scene after the game itself to see the celebrations on the pitch in Croke Park. I think there was somebody who was 91 years of age when the cup arrived in Mayo in the past couple of weeks and he was quite emotional on the return of the cup after 75 years. We look forward to the Mayo team coming here at Senator Duffy's invitation. We will welcome them to the Seanad with an open heart and I congratulate them on what was a fantastic achievement in football. After ten minutes, it looked like it was going to be number 12 but it did not turn into number 12, which showed the fierce heart of the team.

Before I call on the Leader to respond on the Order of Business, I welcome guests of Deputy John Paul O'Shea, Deputy Brennan and Deputy Mairéad Farrell. I think we have a great-granddaughter of the former Senator Gaffney, who served here in the 1930s. She is most welcome to Seanad Éireann. I thank her for being here. The particular bell I was ringing to restore order is the same bell that he would have heard when he was here nearly 100 years ago now. We also have friends of Sharon Pettit, and we have the Texas and Wicklow Roses here as well. They are most welcome to Seanad Éireann and I thank them for being here. Anois, the Leader to respond on the first Order of Business of the new term.

I thank the Cathaoirleach. You would know we were on summer holidays. Twenty-five questions have come in today, which is much larger than most days.

I will take the last one first. You even see an air of confidence and a little bit of arrogance coming into Mayo as well after the couple of weeks they have had.

I would not say that. It is joy unconfined.

Like the Cathaoirleach, I come from a county where we are used to winning. It is actually nice to see Mayo succeed. It is a good idea to bring them in. On a serious note, it creates excitement and a buzz, particularly for young children. It is a time they will never forget and they will be talking about the win of 2026 in 50 years' time.

Wait for the next one.

They are a very good team. I think they could go on a run here. Confidence is a great thing as well. There is a good opportunity to bring them in here and if for nothing but to frustrate the Cathaoirleach, I think I should allocate some time to speak about it when they are here as well, if that is agreed.

Agreed.

As I said, we have 25 contributions so I will try to keep it as brief as I can.

Senator Fiona O'Loughlin spoke about the work the European Committee of the Regions does. It is led by Councillor Gillian Coughlan and we know members of that committee who are in our own party. I know Councillors Brídín Murphy, Jimmy McClearn and Neil Feighery do incredible work, but as a team they represent local authorities across the country incredibly well. It is great to see them acknowledged.

As the Senator said, the ploughing championship has been a real success and that brings pressure when it comes to Kildare next year. It is great to see good numbers and good weather for it. The Senator's main point was on solar farms and I think she is right. There is a need for a Government policy on this. I know the Minister of State, Deputy John Cummins, is doing a lot of work in his Department on it but it affects a number of Departments, including the Department of agriculture with the Minister, Deputy Martin Heydon. It is something a policy needs to be put together for because, as the Senator knows, it is being talked about an awful lot, particularly in rural areas where there is good land being used for solar farms.

Senator Nelson Murray spoke about the changes to the hot school meals programme. She has been pushing this for months and months and doing up her own survey and report on it. It is good to see the feedback has been taken on board and that changes are going to be made this time next year in having hot and cold meals. Anyone who, like me, has young children going to school knows children want a choice between hot and cold meals. It is important to say we will have a debate with the Minister responsible, Deputy Calleary, next Wednesday specifically on the programme and the changes that are going to be made.

Senator McDowell spoke about the "RTÉ Investigates" programme that aired last week. It has actually come down from the RTÉ Player. I was trying to watch it on the player but it was not available. An awful lot came out from that, which is very worrying and disturbing. Questions need to be answered in terms of An Garda Síochána. The Senator raised a number of issues. It is not for me to speak on them without having all the facts but he referred to responses from the Commissioner and An Garda Síochána. I think he said the former Leader of the House responded to him as well and that he was not satisfied with it. In relation to the then Leader's response, I have it here, and he spoke about this before it became a big issue. In fairness to the Leader he said he would request a debate on it. He said: "It is an important issue and he has obviously put a lot on the public record in this Chamber. In doing so, I hope it gains traction and that this is examined." That is what the former Leader of this House said, so he took it very seriously at the time.

Senator Conor Murphy spoke about Irish unity. This has been touched on in the past number of weeks because of the UK Prime Minister coming over here saying one thing and the US President coming here and saying another thing. As the Senator said, it is important to keep relationships going and to maintain relationships on both sides, irrespective of what one side or the other says. An awful lot is changing and we need to be real about the fact the conversations are now happening about what a united Ireland would be and what it would represent. We need to be open to that. It is always important to acknowledge as well that the president came over here and talked about a united Ireland. This was a visit some people did not want to have or they did not want to meet him. What I encourage, even in the contribution of the Senator, is having dialogue, being open and continuing relationships. I ask for that to happen during the St. Patrick's Day visit when Ministers and people who have influence and who have contact, especially with America, go and use that to benefit the progression of the united Ireland ambition.

Senator Stephenson spoke about the attack by the USA on the International Court of Justice. This has been an ongoing issue. The Taoiseach and many Ministers are in America this week at the UN and I have full confidence they will raise an awful lot of those issues the Senator has raised.

Senator Black spoke about the occupied territories Bill. She said other countries are now following, and it has been the Government's position from the very start that if we do this, other countries can follow. The biggest strength would be if there was a European-led movement on this. As the Senator said, Ursula von der Leyen's comments are not extremely helpful and there are a lot of countries that just are not willing to move but we still need to keep working. We have done an awful lot over the past year by convincing countries to come on board and we will continue to do that.

Senator Comyn spoke about vape shops. It is an incredibly frustrating situation. I have been speaking to Councillor Fergal Nealon in Sligo who has done an awful lot on it in his hometown. It is incredibly frustrating that shops are being done up to attract young kids in particular. By "young" I do not mean 15- or 16-year-olds but eight-, nine- and ten-year-olds. Something needs to be done about it. In fairness to the UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, he is doing an awful lot to make changes and give more responsibility to councillors. It is something I am working on via legislation to give power to councillors to say what can be in their town centres. We see four, five or six vape shops in a row on some main streets and that is not good for anyone. According to the police investigation report that was done in the UK, a lot of the vape shops are being used for money laundering.

I am not saying that is happening but I am saying that it would be helpful if we had some sort of investigation in this country.

Senator Boyle spoke about the fishing industry and frustration within the community. No one knows the fishing industry better than the Senator. He is constantly an advocate for the people in County Donegal and the people of Killybegs and the fishing community as a whole across the country. They need answers and they need reform and it is time, with a budget coming up in the next couple of weeks, when money is needed to support that sector. I know the Senator will work extremely hard to convince the Ministers to do that.

Senator Craughwell spoke about his late wife, Helen, which was very touching and very moving. It reminded me a lot of mam. When he was talking about Helen and the good times, even in her last couple of days - I said this to him last week in a private conversation - you have some of the funniest times two or three days before they pass and you know they are passing, but they are great memories in a really weird way. He spoke incredibly well. It was my mother's anniversary mass on Sunday - 26 years. Time heals but you still remember. I understand what he means in terms of those lovely moments you have.

Senator Flaherty spoke in relation to Horse Sport Ireland. I need to be careful in terms of anything I say on that because there is still a process in place in terms of the examinership. In fairness to the Senator, he outlined the concerns he has been raising in this Chamber for quite some time.

Senators Tully and O'Reilly spoke about the school bus transport system. This is something that comes up every year but it seems to be coming up a bit more. One of the issues many people know is that because it is free transport, a lot of kids are put on a school bus but they are not actually taking the seats. It is one of the reasons the price of the school bus increased previously. Certainly, more needs to be done because it is a huge worry for families and parents. As the Senator said, it is actually a really good thing for kids to get used to using public transport.

Senator Blaney spoke in relation to the late Enda Bonner. I am more than happy to allocate time to have an opportunity to speak about the late Senator's contribution in the Seanad and his contribution as a councillor at a time that might be suitable for when the family could be here as well. I will speak to the Cathaoirleach and the Deputy Leader to see what would be possible.

Senator Curley spoke about a school in Carrabane in his own constituency, which just needs a letter of intent. I will speak to the Minister on that. That really should be done. I cannot see why there should be a hold-up on that. I hope that can be done as soon as possible. In relation to his contribution on wind energy guidelines, there has been no update on those guidelines in 20 years. People need to know what the new rules will be. I suggest that the Senator tables a Commencement matter on that issue.

Senator Cosgrove spoke about poverty and particularly child poverty. That is a challenge and it is a focus of every budget that is done every year to try to minimise child poverty. In her contribution, the Senator spoke an awful lot about certain issues but did not talk about the actual changes that have helped child poverty, including simple changes such as free transport to school, free books, hot school meals and reduced fees in colleges. An awful lot has been done to try to tackle that issue. It is not enough and more needs to be done but the Government will not be found wanting in terms of supporting children.

Senator Fitzpatrick spoke about small retailers and the representation RGDATA engages in on the cost of business. She asked for a debate with the Minister, Deputy Burke, which I will try to facilitate. I will contact his office to have a debate on the report on the cost of doing business. There were 63 recommendations in that. It is a good opportunity when businesses are struggling to have that debate in this House.

Senator Conway spoke about assaults on politicians from all levels; we all know councillors. There was a long conversation - I was going to say on the Joe Duffy show but it is now the Joe Duffy replacement show - about women in politics and how challenging it is for them. Then, we had the awful assault that happened to Deputy Michael Healy-Rae last week. The Senator brought up an issue that is critically important in terms of councillors, however. There was a situation during the summer where councillors who had security allowances to protect their homes or offices were named and they should not have been named.

Every Member in this building, be it a TD or a Senator, can avail of security allowances to protect them and their staff. They cannot be named for security reasons. It should be no different in all councils.

FOI requests are done by councils on an individual basis, as is the case with Departments. It is not up to the Minister to say how a council should manage FOI requests; that is up to the council. It seems to me to be blindingly obvious that no council should give out the addresses of councillors. Tipperary County Council has taken down all addresses of councillors from its website.

As we know, when an FOI request is submitted for a councillor, the councillor should be informed before the FOI request goes out in order that if there are any issues like this, the councillor can go to the council and say he or she does not think his or her address should be given or that something should be stated. The council can then make an informed decision based on what a councillor said and the FOI request. We struggle to get people to run for local office. If people are named and supposedly shamed for trying to protect themselves and their families, that is wrong and needs to be changed. I have spoken to the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, about this and he is of the same view.

Senator Andrews spoke about a boxing match where a young boxer, Lee Reeves, was terribly injured. He needs help and support, which I am sure he is getting from the hospital. I do not know why the operation has been cancelled twice. It is obviously a clinical matter for the doctors. I will speak to the Senator after the Order of Business to try to get the details and contact the hospital to see what can be done. It seems to be a terrible case and incredibly worrying for the family.

Senator Keogan spoke about the comments from the president of the Irish Road Haulage Association on fuel prices, which Senator McCormack also mentioned. Prices have increased dramatically over the past number of months. That is why the measures were extended until November. We will have a budget and decisions will be made in a number of weeks but the Government has not been found wanting when it comes to supporting people during the fuel crisis. Some €750 million was allocated only a couple of months ago to try to support farms, businesses and citizens. If more support is required, it will be provided. I note the Senator said we need to scrap all taxes on fuel and to fund public transport. I am not sure how we pay for putting additional funds into public transport if we cut taxes on fuel. There is an opportunity to have a debate on that. I am sure that when the budget is announced in a couple of weeks, one of the topics in this Chamber later that day will be fuel support.

Senator Harmon spoke about Bessborough, Cork. I believe she was one of the first people to raise the matter in this House and it is now getting traction due to the comments of Siobhán McSweeney and others. It is in the Taoiseach's constituency and he is very conscious of it. Decisions will have to be made, as the Senator said, being conscious of survivors at the heart. I hope that will be the case.

Senator Higgins asked for a debate on school transport, which we will try to have. She also raised difficulties faced by students in Gaza, something which has been raised in the Seanad on previous occasions.

Senator McCarthy raised a very interesting point on the number of students across the country having increased over the past two or three years and the added financial burden that places on colleges. There is a request for an extra €190 million in the budget and he has advocated for that. We will try to have a debate with the Minister for higher education on funding and support for third level colleges.

Senator Conway spoke about Lahinch Beach, a beach I know very well. I was there during the summer for a couple of days with my family. It is a fantastic area, beach and town. It is another prime example of where infrastructure is critically important. He spoke about wastewater treatment. We need to provide significant investment for and speed up the provision of infrastructure. He asked me to contact the Minister for housing to get Irish Water to set up a public consultation.

I will do that. It is only right that Irish Water should be available and open to consultation with members of the public from Lahinch.

Regarding Senator Duffy's remarks, I have clarified that already. Everyone has congratulated the Senator. The one thing that I forgot to say is that when the Mayo team was lifting the trophy, I thought they were going to hand it to Senator Duffy, who was literally behind the captain.

I do not know about the football field, but Senator Duffy always had great positional sense in politics.

He is now going to be in a photo that will be seen for hundreds of years.