Senator Clonan also spoke about the personalised budget Private Member's Bill he has introduced and which has been time delayed. I know the Minister with responsibility for disability is working on personalised budgets. There was an issue with the pilot project. It was very much undersubscribed which was a shame for the efforts to try to assess responses. We are looking for debate on a number of issues which were raised today which are related to disability. We have reached out and are looking for a debate next week or the week after with the Minister on the issues that have been raised.

Senator Tully spoke about a 78-year-old gentleman with a daughter with Down's syndrome and the lack of residential care. The Senator has helped to prepare a business case with this family and reached out to providers. It is a shame if a provider has been identified, as the dad feels, but nothing has been done in relation to it. That is something we will cover in the debate with the Minister in the next few weeks.

Senator Tully also commended Nikita Hand on “Prime Time” last night. I did not see it but fair play, she has really shone a light. It takes an awful lot of courage to stand up and be as vocal as she has. I have heard her on the radio a number of times. We have to support victims in terms of trying to make it easier for other victims down the line.

Senators Stephenson and O’Reilly spoke about the new research from the National Youth Council on how young people feel about the country that we live in. One of the things that struck me when I saw it was that 71% of young people felt they would have a better life outside of Ireland. I have to say it upset me and concerned me but I took the opportunity to look to Mark Henry who, as an independent individual, has a really interesting Twitter or X feed in relation to fact-finding and research. We can end up in a doomscroll about our country, which we are so proud to represent. All of us work to try to make life better for everyone. I say the Senators are adding to that doom and gloom in respect of what they are saying. If they believe it they should be actively working to try to make it better in a pragmatic way. I took the opportunity to look at some of the statistics that Mark Henry had in the last few days. Ireland has one of the highest rates of youth employment in the EU. It is the seventh most competitive country in the world. It is very well ranked because of a strong economy, good government efficiency and positive business practices. Senator O’Reilly spoke about young people going to Australia but it is a fact - and in Ireland we absolutely have challenges, including a lot of challenges around housing - that in Ireland, the cost of a house in Dublin is five times the median household income. In Sydney it is 14 times the median income. People might feel that it is a better world out there but take some of the things that are provided. Look at the education we have in Ireland. Look at the employment opportunities. Irish people now have twice as much income as they had 30 years ago. I think we all need to remind ourselves of that when we hear negativity. If we were to listen to one of the parties mentioned here, in particular, they do not want any data centres in Ireland. We are struggling with it in Kildare at the moment. There is a concern about energy use, absolutely, but we got an independent briefing because data centres are being proposed for Kildare. There is only one plugged into the grid at the moment. It and every future data centre has to be able to provide 80% of its own energy. Data centres are really important to the economy in terms of attracting investment. If we were to go down the line of saying we are not going to progress with any of this as the Senator’s party wants, there would not be good jobs for our youth so we need to be really mindful of the message that we are giving to our young people. We want to empower them to have good, positive lives here in our country. If, by choice, they wish to travel abroad for a few years, as I did myself, that is wonderful but we will welcome them home with open arms. Last year, the statistics showed that 35,000 people emigrated but 30,000 people came back. The level of emigration is not as high as would be suggested.

Senator Murphy O’Mahony spoke about school escorts and that their pay only starts when the first child comes onto the bus - that is something that has to be looked at – and also that the bus escorts are not paid for summer holidays. They are doing a very valuable job. We will look for a debate with the Minister.

Senator McCarthy spoke as chair of the SURF task force. I want to thank him for the really important work that he does. He spoke about the situation where one of its services is now in an industrial estate because it is very difficult to find space in Newbridge. I am looking for a space at the moment for a Jigsaw service. Space is at a premium. Our developing towns do not have an awful lot of space for these services. We need to work collectively to make sure those services are there for those who need them. Also, pharmacies should be supporting people. We will look for a debate with the Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O’Connor.

Senator McCormack spoke about the HSE audit of recruitment for Portlaoise hospital and her concern about staffing levels. We support her. Portlaoise hospital is a fine hospital and we need to do everything we can to make sure there is adequate and relevant staff.

Senator Crowe also offered his sympathies to Senator Craughwell and spoke about the challenges for local pubs. He spoke about what is happening with the UK. Fair play to the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham. He has really grasped that. It is important because, as we have spoken about here many times before, our rural pubs are far more than just a place to provide alcoholic drink. They are a place for people to meet, to congregate and to socialise and we should support them. We will give that message to the Minister.

Senator Craughwell spoke again very movingly about the loss of his wife and really difficult conversations they had to have prior to her passing. He spoke during the week about the power of attorney and spoke today about the advanced healthcare declaration form, which is something we should all encourage and support our families, friends and communities to take because none of us know either the day or the time. Again, I offer our very deepest sympathies to Senator Craughwell. We can see that sometimes out of the deepest, darkest moments there are learning points for all of us that we can try to make the path a little bit easier for others.

Senator Scahill spoke about the disability allowance and the cost of living and limitation of support to an individual he was speaking to during the week, particularly about the need to have regular blood tests needed to help alleviate a condition.

Even with a medical card, €30 is a lot of money and I agree that needs to be looked at. It just happens to be the same individual but it could be anyone else. There is a regular need to change glasses subscription which is not covered, and to access to dentists. These are all basics: our sight, our teeth and the ability to be able to manage and monitor a condition any one of us could have. The Senator spoke about the 60% reduction in dentists in Roscommon and about the capacity issue. We will look for debate with the Minister for Health on that.

Senator McDowell continued the conversation that Senator Craughwell started about the enduring power of attorney and about how complex it is. It is so complex that many solicitors will not touch it. We absolutely need to have a debate. I have heard it a few times from different people, both inside and outside the Chamber. We should ask the justice committee to examine it, so maybe we can ask some Senators here to put it on the work programme. It is not going to be done easily. Senator McDowell also referred to the "Prime Time" debate and protected disclosures. He clarified two elements of his own contribution. I ask that the record shows the two distinctions that the Senator has made today to reflect that.

Senator Curley spoke about Dunguaire Castle in Kinvara, which closed in 2023. I am not sure whether that is an OPW issue or not. The Senator wants a debate. I ask him to table a Commencement matter about that.

Senator Cosgrove spoke about independent radio stations. They provide a really important public service, particularly in rural Ireland. She spoke about the levy increase. The funding system needs to be looked at. We will have the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill here in October, so we will have an opportunity to raise our voices about it.

Senator Byrne also spoke about the power of attorney and the need to reform it. He spoke about the lack of early morning commuter train from Wexford. Gorey has one early, but Enniscorthy, Wexford and Rosslare have the first train at 8.48 a.m. That is simply not good enough. We will ask the Minister about it. To be fair, Iarnród Éireann is good with its engagement with Members. My car broke down in west Cork three weeks ago and I have not had a car since because we are waiting for parts from the UK and it is still in Cork, so I have had to rely on public transport ever since. I feel so lucky every time I go to the train station that I am able to get that early train. It is a huge issue and it would make such a difference to people.

I addressed the points that Senator O'Reilly raised.

Senator Nelson Murray spoke about the need for reliable bus and train services for Meath. We know the train is coming slowly but there are concerns about the reliability of the bus service. Meath as a commuter county absolutely deserves it.

Senator Boyhan asked for extra time and I have addressed that. He also spoke about the speaker's guide. I do not know whether there was some comment in the past two days that I missed. Maybe the Senator and I will speak privately about that afterwards. He is right that it is up to each party group to be able to provide it. It is a guide, but it is flexible. Any time I have been here and I have needed the Chair, the Cathaoirleach, or the Leas-Chathaoirleach to show flexibility, they did, but the Senator and I can have a conversation later.

Senator Duffy spoke about Ballina and the official opening of the sensory park, which will be tomorrow. It has been community-led and grassroots-led. It is fantastic. I know the Senator acknowledges the working group, particularly the late Paddy O'Hora, who have worked there along with Accelerating Change Together, ACT. The first time I ever went to a sensory park was the Delta Centre in Carlow. It was a centre for people with intellectual disability. It inspired me when I saw young people with severe intellectual disabilities who found it difficult to communicate responded to the sensory park. That was probably 30 years ago. It is wonderful to see them in other places. The work that goes into the maintaining and the planting is huge.

Senator Conway spoke again, supporting the power of attorney reform that is needed. He spoke about the INTO, its briefings, and the fact that it is requesting 1,000 extra teachers in the budget. I think we would all support that request. We will write to the Minister about it. We have the best educated young people in the world nearly and we do that by having great teachers and school communities that support them.