I add my voice to the welcome for ambassador Gill. I have had the opportunity to welcome him to Newbridge, which has been twinned with Bad Lippspringe for 29 years now. The ambassador has been a frequent visitor and indeed came for the Manley Hopkins festival this year. It is always a pleasure to see him in Newbridge, in Kildare and here in the Seanad.

The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding the arrangements for the sitting of the House on Tuesday, 6 October 2026; Wednesday, 7 October 2026; and Thursday, 8 October 2026, to be taken on the conclusion of the Order of Business without debate; No. 2, motion regarding report of the Joint Committee on Artificial Intelligence entitled "First Interim Report", to be taken on the conclusion of No. 1 without debate; and No. 3, motion regarding the report of the Joint Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport entitled "Report on Pre-Legislative Scrutiny of the Revised General Scheme of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill", to be taken on the conclusion of No. 2 without debate.

I would also like to welcome the ambassador and embassy staff and congratulate Germany on its successful reunification. It was important not just for Germany but for all of Europe and the world. I wish herzlichen Glückwunsch an alle Deutsche in Irland.

This week we had some very sad news. A colleague of the Houses, Seamus Carroll, passed away very unexpectedly. I would like to offer our sincerest condolences to his colleagues, his friends and his family. He leaves behind a wife, a son and a daughter. I send our deepest condolences to Treasa, Cillian and Aisling. Seamus was a very familiar face to all of us. He was always courteous, accommodating and polite. He was always welcoming to us, our visitors and anybody we brought to the Houses. It is a great privilege for us to serve here but we only do it with the support of those who work with us. I offer deepest condolences to Seamus's family, colleagues and friends. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

I am really concerned about the complete lack of safety and, I believe, the lack of seriousness regarding the safety of our public representatives and their families. I have heard the Leader speak about this and I am sure other Members of the House have as well. This is an issue many of us have raised but the Association of Irish Local Government, AILG, captured it most recently in a report. It did a survey and found that over 63% of councillors who responded had experienced threats, intimidation and harassment. More than half had considered leaving their role because of the threats and harassment. In July, up to 70 female councillors had reported harassment. The problem is that the safety of public representatives and their families is not being taken seriously. That is the sad reality. Our democracy is based on people willing to show up, stand up and speak up. Decisions are made by those who do that but people are being harassed and intimidated. Our democracy depends on strong public representation at a local level. I acknowledge Councillor Rachel Hartigan who recently brought a motion to Clare County Council on this issue.

I call for a change to the electoral law. There have been recommendations. We need it to be changed so that personal home addresses are no longer published on public electoral documents. I also ask in the interim that local authorities provide elected representatives with a safe, accessible public address they can use and also provide them with a safe, accessible public space where they can meet constituents in a safe environment. I do not think it is too much to ask. It is not an extravagance that we cannot afford for our democracy. I would appreciate if the Leader would take up the issue.

Cuirim fáilte mhór roimh ambasadóir na Gearmáine, an t-ambasadóir Gill. Gabhaimid buíochas leis as ucht theacht anseo inniu chun lá náisiúnta na Gearmáine, a bheidh ar siúl ar an Satharn, a cheiliúradh. I have many happy memories of my many visits to Germany especially with the Lender family in Auweiler, Cologne, a city with which my home city, Cork, is twinned. What we all have in common is an aspiration for a better future. Along with others, my party, Fine Gael, aspires to achievement of a new and unified Ireland, recognising that not everybody shares this aspiration. Irrespective of what the future holds for our island, we believe that lessons can be learned from Germany’s journey towards reunification while acknowledging that political and social differences continue to exist between east and west in Germany 36 years after reunification, as we saw in the recent regional elections.

Ireland, Germany and the EU must continue to focus on unity, justice and freedom not only within the borders of the European Union but beyond in places such as Africa, Ukraine and the Middle East. We must show strong, positive leadership in the wider world, helping to bring wars and conflicts to an end. We must not be afraid to lead in tackling collective global challenges such as climate, inequality and hunger, all of which are severely adversely impacted by war and conflict. I shed tears of happiness when I saw the television pictures of the leadership the people of Germany showed to us and to our European partners in opening their homes to welcome displaced Ukrainians after the illegal Russian invasion of their country in 2022.

I have often since wondered, as I mentioned to the ambassador when we met last year, why the same solidarity and commitment has not been shown by the EU to the people of Palestine, who, as our Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, rightly said at the United Nations General Assembly last week, have been failed by the international community.

Herr Botschafter, genauso wie in der EU sollten wir uns immer darauf fokussieren, was uns verbindet und nicht auf das, was uns trennt. Was uns verbindet ist der Wunsch nach Frieden.

Wie Friedrich Schiller im Sommer von 1785 in seiner "Ode an die Freude" geschrieben hat, "Alle Menschen werden Brüder, Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt." Herr Botschafter, wir dürfen nicht vergessen dass die Palästinenser und auch die Israelis unsere Schwestern und Brüder sind und wir in der EU müssen immer versuchen miteinander gemeinsam auf eine zwei-Staaten-Lösung zu arbeiten.

Ambassador, we must recognise that Palestinians and Israelis are also our sisters and brothers and that the EU must show stronger and fair leadership to work with them and other international partners towards the achievement of a two-state solution, which will enable all the children of both Palestine and Israel to achieve a better future, living peacefully side by side.

Go raibh míle maith agaibh, a chomhghleacaithe agus a ambasadóir. Tá súil agam go mbainfidh tú féin agus muintir na Gearmáine an-taitneamh as bhur lá náisiúnta ar an Satharn.

I also welcome - willkommen - my neighbour and our German ambassador. I cannot follow Senator Kelleher's contribution. My German is limited to "Wo ist den Campingplatz, mein lieber Schatz?" That is about it. On a serious note, though, from the Gesellschaft of European relationships and international relationships to the Gemeinschaft of our personal relationships across all our diplomatic community here in Dublin, we are very lucky with the people we have. I thank the ambassador again for a great evening at German Unity Day on Tuesday.

I want to talk about this country and what kind of a country it is because we need, after the budget, to have a conversation about this. I had as guests here surgeons from Phoenix, Arizona, the Christmas of 2025. They had access to and sight of the medical records of children on the urology waiting lists and spinal surgery waiting lists in Children's Health Ireland, CHI, and they told me that they did not see cases like those in the United States except for when, as part of their pro bono practice, they dealt with people who had come as medical refugees from Latin America and were in advanced stages of illness and cancer that were not normally seen in developed countries. One of the surgeons said that that was the category into which our children fit. We have thousands of disabled children in Ireland on the urology waiting list who, for a lack of a routine and small surgical intervention - the urology pathway and the spinal pathway have been established in medicine for over 50 years - become infertile and incontinent. Their little reproductive organs do not develop. They are denied even that part of their human development. They are more prone to pancreatic, cervical, prostate and bowel cancer. That is happening in one of the wealthiest countries in the European Union, and you have to ask yourself why.

I will tell the House why. We as a society assign less human value to disabled citizens than we do to the rest of the population. I know from speaking to medical professionals in CHI that when children, God forbid, come in from road traffic collisions or are suffering from cancer, heroic measures are taken to save them. Disabled children, however, die on waiting lists - disabled children like my son, who did not get a surgery until 2018. Let me be very clear: when the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, says that any kind of inquiry or investigation will be time limited to six years, that will not deal with my son's situation. It will not deal with others who were taken off surgical wait lists, like Harvey Morrison Sherratt, who died. He was made palliative. The note said the fella could not even sneeze, and then he died.

We are an ableist state. We are an apartheid state when it comes to disabled citizens. We had Before We Die in the Helix, in DCU. There are 55,000 disabled adults living at home - forced to live at home - with parents over the age of 60, and now I am in that category. There are thousands living at home with parents in their 70s, or even in their 90s, caring for disabled children. What kind of a society is this? I look forward with interest to seeing how the Government will deal with this in the budget, but when the budget is over and the dust has settled, we need to have a proper conversation in this House about the rights of disabled citizens and adults. We are 50 years behind Germany in terms of legislation and rights.

I, too, very much welcome the German ambassador, H.E. David Gill. As I was walking in, he was talking about St. Kilian. St. Kilian is very much associated with Mullagh, in County Cavan, and there have been trips by Cavan County Council to Germany and vice versa to celebrate the memory of St. Kilian.

Today, I would like to talk about ALONE. I attended a presentation by ALONE in Buswells yesterday, as I am sure many of us did. It has a number of very important requests for this budget, which I know is probably already decided at this stage. One of the situations it talked about was how if a couple were both receiving a pension and then one sadly passed away, the income was halved but the bills were not. There would still be a similar heating bill, electricity bill and so on, and it could become extremely hard for that person to manage on their own. ALONE is calling for the living alone allowance to be increased because it has not been increased in quite some time. It has requests regarding some of the other benefits as well, such as the telephone support allowance, which still relates to a landline. Most households do not have a landline now. ALONE says that the allowance should be broadened out into a communications allowance. It is talking about having a technology package for older people. One of my sons, when he was in transition year, TY, did a project where he showed older people how to use technology. It went really well, and my younger son is about to do the same. He is in TY now and is looking forward to it. The older people really enjoyed that and were well able to use the technology once they were shown. I get my sons to show me things that I still do not know or understand.

We also need a national plan for loneliness. That was one of the matters ALONE brought up. According to a European Commission Joint Research Centre study, Ireland is the loneliest nation in Europe, with over 20% of respondents saying they are lonely. We are not just talking about older people here, but all age groups. I think a national plan on loneliness would be really important to address that.

The other issue I want to raise today is the social housing income thresholds in Cavan. They are still extremely low. The threshold is only €30,000. I am witnessing families being evicted from their private rented accommodation. They are earning over €30,000, which is not hard to do in this day and age, so they do not qualify for social housing or any of the supports associated with it. For example, you go across the border into Meath and the threshold is much higher, yet the rent is similar. The rent has increased hugely in Cavan. People are in dire straits at the moment. There is very little available to rent, but what is available is extremely expensive and, as I said, most of these people do not qualify. I ask that the thresholds be reviewed and increased, and not just in Cavan. A number of other counties are on a similar level. There are three different levels, and €30,000 is far too low.

I want to raise the annual school transport crisis that a lot of families face. It is particularly pertinent in rural areas, particularly where I am living in Carlow-Kilkenny. We all know that back to school time for parents and families is incredibly stressful. There is huge expense. Parents are also having to scramble to find alternative ways to get their children to school. This time around, we saw Bus Éireann notifying parents at the last minute, and in some cases just a week before school was due to start, that their children were not going to get bus places even though in the previous year they had received them, or that they were no longer getting tickets. It is not a new problem; it is an annual problem that we have. We need to get our heads together and discuss how to fix it. I know there is a review in place, but we cannot have families facing struggles year after year. I have heard from parents regarding a school on the Carlow-Laois border, Knockbeg College. They rely heavily on school buses because of the location of the college. There is no public bus route to get to the school from Carlow, so there is no way of getting to school.

There are single parents, parents who do not drive, parents who have additional caring duties with other children that mean they cannot leave home twice a day during the school rushes, parents who are trying to get younger children to crèche, etc. People have complex lives. They are massively struggling to get their kids to school.

There are so many inconsistencies with aspects of the school transport scheme. It does not reflect the reality of families living in rural areas. It is not functioning perfectly. There are solutions. We had a review of the school transport scheme in 2024 that referred the need to expand the capacity by 100,000 places by 2030. As for those who do not win a seat in the lottery - it is a lottery - children as young as 12 end up navigating complex bus services alone. I have had reports of children who have got lost on the way to school because they are having to get multiple buses. It is just not safe. There are massive issues and challenges with it from a safeguarding perspective. Some young children are leaving the house at 7 a.m. and not getting home until 5.30 p.m. We are expecting them to do their homework then, having been hours and hours out of the house. We are frustrated when we hear about commuters leaving at 7 a.m. and not getting back until after 6 p.m., so schoolchildren facing that too is incredible to me.

We have a scarcity of school bus places and we also have families holding on to their tickets. If they are lucky enough to get a ticket in the lottery they hold on to it, even though they might be driving their kids to school. This means we have school buses that are not at full capacity often travelling past the houses of people whose children need spaces on the bus. They can see there are spaces but they are not available because other parents do not want to give up their ticket even if they are not regularly using it. We need to have a use-it-or-lose-it policy with the concessionary ticket because there is no logic to empty seats on school buses that other kids cannot access.

Obviously we have the question of our emissions and the need to reduce them. We have a cost-of-living crisis with families to the pin of their collar and we are exacerbating it. That children cannot get concessionary tickets to travel to school exacerbates a load of other crises families are facing. The current system is a shambles and unfit for purpose. I really hope that by next September we have a functioning system. We should have a debate on this because I know from other Senators that it impacts lots of different people, mostly in rural areas. I recognise that in places like Dublin there is so much transport that it will not have the same impact but it is one of those things that worries so many households and families annually.

I am raising an issue of safeguarding. It is something that comes up regularly in the House and Senator Stephenson has referenced it in the context of school transport. The FAI was before the Oireachtas committee on sport and its main reason for being there was to discuss safeguarding. Imagine showing up at an Oireachtas committee to discuss safeguarding without bringing your safeguarding officer. That is an own goal straight away. I compliment Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan and Senators Ní Chuilinn and Comyn on their questioning because they stayed focused. Safeguarding is not optional for under-18s. Safeguarding and Children First are not optional. It is not à la carte. It is legislative. We have to protect our most vulnerable. We do not want to be dealing with retrospective cases when they turn 18 and now understand what happened might have been inappropriate. I am disappointed because I listened to "Morning Ireland" and Newstalk hoping somebody would pick up on the fact the FAI showed up without its safeguarding officer. The questions were not answered on it. To be fair to the Deputy and the Senators, they were probing really hard to get answers. Parents need accountability. They need assurance when they drop their child off to training or to a match. Yesterday was all about referees and whether the referees presiding over games are Garda vetted. The FAI could not answer the questions. Numerous times we have discussed safeguarding in care, in sport and this morning on school transport. We need a real conversation on safeguarding as well as understanding and awareness. Parents automatically assume, but we have to educate them that they have to adhere to safeguarding legislation.

I wish to highlight the infrastructure in Carrick, County Donegal, which is holding back the future development of a rural Gaeltacht community. We are constantly told rural Ireland needs more housing, more tourism, a stronger local economy and sustainable population growth. However, in Carrick these goals cannot be achieved as the local wastewater treatment system is no longer fit for purpose. The existing holding tank was built in 1970 for a much smaller population and is operating well beyond its intended capacity. This outdated infrastructure is preventing new housing developments, restricting business opportunities and limiting the community's ability to grow. As far back as 2010 it was identified that a new wastewater treatment plant was needed to provide proper treatment and support future development. Despite the community's call for action, nothing has been done and Carrick is not included in any investment programme. The local community has an ambitious plan for regeneration through the Carrick 2040 strategy but these plans cannot be delivered without the basic infrastructure needed to support them. I am calling on the Minister and Uisce Éireann to urgently prioritise the upgrading or replacement of the Carrick water treatment plant. This investment is essential for the local environment, to support housing, for tourism and to allow a vibrant Gaeltacht community to reach its full potential. There is a great community in Carrick. I am not sure if the Deputy Leader knows it but it is a lovely wee town. I must champion the group that is here. They have taken this on and they have run with it. I hope the Deputy Leader will come to Donegal some day. If she visits beautiful Sliabh Liag she will pass through Carrick on her way. The problem is we want our people to stay at home in Carrick. We need them to able to build at home and to maximise the tourism potential of Sliabh Liag. We could do a lot more if we had development of that infrastructure.

Before I call Senator Boyhan I welcome the Cathaoirleach, who is accompanied by H.E. Ms Cristina Gherasimov, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration of the Republic of Moldova. She is accompanied by Ms Larisa Miculeț, chargé d'affaires of the Republic of Moldova to Ireland, who is a regular visitor to the Seanad, and Ms Aura Revenco, communication adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister. You are all very welcome and I hope your visit is successful.

I call Senator Boyhan.

Thank you, a Leas-Chathaoirligh. I join you in welcoming the distinguished guests of the Cathaoirleach to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery. I see friends there. I have certainly been at many functions with them and I thank them for that. I hope they have a successful day.

I am calling for a debate on open government data and the freedom of information Act. I do so in the context of exempted development. I will quickly take the House through a number of points. On 29 July 2025, submissions opened for the public consultation on the review of exempted development. On 26 August 2025, this public consultation closed to submission. On 14 January 2026, the general scheme of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2026 was published. On 28 January, a pre-legislative scrutiny letter was issued on the heads of that Bill. On 26 June, the Bill was introduced on First Stage. The legislation contained sections on exempted development. On 3 July, multiple motions were introduced in the Seanad on exempted development. On 9 July, a freedom of information request was submitted by me to the Department of housing and local government. I requested that under the Freedom of Information Act 2014 the Department release all 900 submissions to the public consultation on the review. On 15 July, motions on exempted development were agreed in Dáil Éireann. On 16 July, the motions were agreed in this House and we moved on. To fast-track it, I then initiated the process and it was refused by the Department. I did the appeal and it was refused by the Department. I paid the fee and it was refused by the Department.

Eventually, it was accepted by the Information Commissioner. Last night, I received a letter before I left this House from the commissioner, which suggested that the offer to withdraw the application did not affect my rights and I was under no obligation to withdraw. Why was that suggested? Having refused me all along, and while I paid all the fees and put a tracker of every part of this process, the Department decided yesterday in its wisdom that it should put it up on gov.ie. Despite all my requests and my refusals, the Department put a limited version of this up. It is very interesting because the Department forgot to take certain names out of it while leaving a lot of names, albeit not intentionally, in another section of it. This morning, I wrote to the commissioner, the Secretary General of the Department and the Minister. I am not withdrawing the process and I formally informed them of that today, so it will proceed. I am writing to every Member of both Houses of the Oireachtas. The email is ready. That is why I want to put it on record. When I leave here, I will be sending a detailed email of the timelines of all sections of it and also the fact that I am not withdrawing the application. I will, of course, be sharing the link to the gov.ie website.

There is more to this. It is about transparency and open and accountable government. In that context, I am now calling for a debate on freedom of information, FOI, open data and protected disclosures. We are all hearing about protected disclosures. Many politicians in the last two weeks have been talking about protected disclosures made externally to here. We need protected disclosure legislation that supports politicians in Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann. That is the genesis. That is the request. We want openness, transparency and open data in government central to the Houses of the Oireachtas and I intend to continue bringing this up every week until we get this. I am confident that I will be successful in this.

I thank the Deputy Leader for her time.

I have good news for the farming community this morning, in that the Minister, Deputy Heydon, has extended the time to allow farmers under the agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, geese and swan action to graze for an extra month. Especially when we are coming into a fodder crisis and everyone knows that there is a shortage in the country, an extra month for these farmers to graze on that land will certainly ease a burden over the winter. I thank the Minister and his officials for bringing this initiative forward because these are situations where the burden is on the farmer, who is heavily penalised if they graze this land. They usually shut them off at the end of September but now farmers get an extra month, with the weather good and everything else. I thank the Minister and his officials for this extension.

Going home yesterday evening through our capital, it was mind-boggling to see how many people were on bikes, but also how many were on bikes without lights, dressed in black with no hi-vis, etc. I encountered at least three people who could have been in an accident with me. They were cycling on the wrong side of the road facing traffic and with no hi-vis or lights on them. It is no great wonder that so many people are knocked off bikes when this is going on in the capital. There has to be some law whereby if you go out in the pitch of night, you must have a light or a hi-vis vest. If people are found without them, the bikes should at least be lifted off people them and some fine issued.

Before I move to the next speaker, I welcome Deputy Michael Murphy from Tipperary and his guests Annabelle and Patrick Normoyle. I hope that they enjoy their visit to Leinster House today.

I call Senator Andrews.

I agree with Senator Rabbitte and her comments towards the FAI. It does not really surprise me that its officials would come in to discuss safeguarding without a safeguarding officer, so I fully agree with the Senator's comments.

I wish to raise the income eligibility thresholds for social housing, which have not been revised since 2023. Since then, wages and social welfare payments have increased significantly with inflation and the cost of living putting pressure on people, but there has been no change to the social housing income eligibility thresholds. The result is that a growing number of people are now being removed from council waiting lists. In some cases, people are losing up to ten years of time on the list through no fault of their own. The low thresholds are also blocking people who are unable to afford private or cost-rental accommodation from getting on the council list and accessing housing assistant payment, HAP. It is unfair to people who are cut off. They are caught in the middle. They cannot afford the astronomical prices and they do not qualify for the housing list, so they are stuck in limbo. In Dublin City Council, a single person can have a maximum income of €40,000 to access public housing support, meaning someone making €39,000 a year would be considerably better off as a result of the support offered by HAP. Even less fair than that is that a single parent can only have a maximum of €41,000, which is an income far too low to properly provide for a child. The Government needs to raise social housing income eligibility thresholds as a matter of urgency and initiate a reform of income assessments and banding. People in need of public housing should not be denied access to council waiting lists or social housing supports because of outdated and badly designed eligibility rules and thresholds. I would appreciate it if the Minister could come in to look at that and redesign the eligibility criteria.

Today marks the start of National Breastfeeding Week. There is no doubt that a baby who is breastfed has a fantastic and, probably, the best start in life. I wish to acknowledge that and acknowledge the great work many mothers do in this regard. However, I also think today of the mothers who, for many reasons, do not breastfeed. Sometimes, it just does not suit them to. Many times, it just does not work out. This week, while we acknowledge the fantastic idea of breastfeeding, we must also be very conscious of the mothers for whom it does not quite work out.

I bring colleagues' attention, prior to the budget madness of next week, to a briefing I am hosting in the audiovisual room next Wednesday at 11 a.m. about stem cell transplants and the lack of stem cell transplant facilities in Ireland. Currently, you can only receive stem cell transplants in Galway or St. James's Hospital in Dublin. There are 2,400 people diagnosed in Ireland every year with a blood-related cancer, but the lack of stem cell therapy means that a lot of people are excluded from accessing this treatment. What we are advocating for is that a stem cell transplant lab be granted in Cork University Hospital. This would come at a cost of €27 million, as the national cancer control programme, NCCP, has already provided a full-time nurse and a half-time consultant in Cork University Hospital. Now, we need the lab. It was a service that was provided up until 2006, at which point it ceased. Since 2010, there have been two attempts to reinstate it in the hospital. This has not happened. It is currently on a group project list but we are asking that it be taken on its own and given priority. I appreciate that this may sound very Cork-based, but this would not just benefit patients in Cork. It would benefit patients anywhere in the south east and south west as well as patients in the east and the north west, because the reduction of patients having to come from a referral from Cork University Hospital to Galway or Dublin would decrease the demands on those services. That briefing is on next week at 11 a.m. We are very lucky to be joined by Professor Ibrahim Yakoub-Agha who is president of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation, as well as many other experts, including Dr. Bruce Levine who founded the CAR T-cell transplant treatment.

I wish to particularly commend Mags McCarthy, a patient advocate who lives near me at home in Cork North-West and is from Dripsey. She has done so much awareness raising on this issue and it was she who came to me a few months ago to try to put this together. She has been working with a lot of TDs and Senators across parties. This is a cross-party thing. I would like to get as much support as possible, so I urge Senators to support that next week.

If the Leas-Chathaoirleach will indulge me slightly, I wish to commend the National Ambulance Service and the air ambulance service.

We are very lucky where I am to have an air ambulance in Rathcoole. Somebody very dear to me suffered a cardiac arrest yesterday in a small village in Cork. Thankfully an ambulance as well as an air ambulance reached him within seven minutes. We are very lucky and he is doing incredibly well. A lot of the time we speak about issues where a service is not good enough or a service is inadequately funded. When we have personal experience of these things, it is important to commend that service. I give my deepest thanks to the air ambulance and the national ambulance services. I want to highlight a good news story because too often we come here with critical stories. I thank them very much and commend them on the work they do.

I raise the issue of workers' rights and public sector workers. I support public sector workers across the country who are beginning industrial action. The Government needs to engage with these workers in good faith to come up with a proper pay agreement. These are front-line workers across the country, including teachers, special needs assistants, healthcare workers, nurses, firefighters, public servants and civil servants, including people working in the Houses of the Oireachtas. I stand with them. The Government needs to show respect to them. These people are struggling with payment of rents, saving for a home of their own or paying mortgages. They are struggling with the high cost of energy, childcare and transport. We need to take them seriously. The country would come to a halt without these workers. It is important for the Government to engage with them so we can come to a solution here. Nobody wants to be striking. These workers want to get on with their jobs but unfortunately they are in this position because they need a new pay agreement. I stand with the unions which represent them so well.

I expressed my solidarity with the student movement, Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn, which is having a national protest calling for better funding for the higher education sector, the ending of the student contribution fee and a proper student accommodation strategy. I stand with those students in their calls in their pre-budget submission.

I offer my condolences to the family of Seamus Carroll, an usher in these Houses, on his passing. He will be deeply missed by all of us in the Houses of the Oireachtas.

As Members may be aware, October is Dyslexia Awareness Month. To mark the start of it, Dyslexia Ireland surveyed more than 900 teachers, parents and students on what changes they wanted to see. The survey found that a lack of teacher training about dyslexia is the single biggest barrier facing dyslexic children in Ireland today. It is estimated that one in ten have some form of dyslexia and this issue affects approximately 100,000 students across the country in primary, secondary and higher education.

The results of the survey showed that both parents and teachers feel this issue should be addressed in a similar way, with 94% of the parents and 82% of the teachers saying they want mandatory training for every teacher in Ireland, the single biggest policy request from both groups. Some 60% of teachers said they do not know the best reading or spelling programme to use to support the children. Some 89% of parents said teachers are not sufficiently trained to support them. Some 68% of dyslexic young people said a lack of knowledge of dyslexia by teachers was one of the biggest challenges they face, ranking it above exam supports, diagnosis delays and public awareness. Given the numbers impacted, it is clear this issue needs action by the Department of Education and Youth and I would be grateful if the Leader of the House would raise it with the Minister, Deputy Naughton.

I welcome the announcement yesterday by the Minister for Children, Disabilty and Equality, Deputy Norma Foley, of seven new early learning and childcare projects under the State-led early learning and childcare capital programme. It was especially good to see Boyle included in that allocation this year. There have been a lot of representations. It has been raised in this House and the Lower House on repeated occasions by Government representatives and it is good to see Government is delivering where a community has demonstrated extreme need for this. I congratulate the Boyle childcare committee led by Christina Egan of the Boyle family resource centre. I thank all my colleagues in the constituency who have collectively worked on this. I might have been the only one in the country who adhered to the embargo time, but I am not going to throw the rattle out of the pram on this occasion.

I also recognise Dyslexia Awareness Month, which Senator Crowe just mentioned. I will not go over the figures again. It is very important to mention it. I spoke to a parent recently who spent a week working with one of their children, concentrating on preparing the child for the Friday morning spelling test. Right up until the Thursday evening the child really put the effort in. What threw the child on the Friday morning was the teacher saying there were five minutes to do the questions. That just threw the whole thing out the window. I just want to recognise that.

That connects very easily into the work we are doing on inclusive education at the Joint Committee on Education and Youth at the moment. Feedback from extensive work on that which Senator Nelson Murray has been involved with me, has pointed out that continuous professional development must be a core part of building a genuinely inclusive education system. It is important that we recognise Dyslexia Awareness Month in this House. The foundation of the campaign this month is effective teaching changes lives. That is a very important message and can probably stretch far beyond dyslexia into a number of other areas. I would support having a debate in this House on that topic, which Senator Crowe called for.

I welcome this morning's announcement of funding for community vehicles under measure 2 of the CLÁR programme. It is great to see a small community in Keadue, operating out of the Mo Chairde Centre in St. Ronan's Hall benefiting from getting just under €27,000 to support its meals on wheels programme, which is delivering these meals directly where they are needed in the community. It is another example that when a community can demonstrate demand, show where it is needed and engage with those people, Government will support that. I recognise Government for that.

I also recognise that this month is Dyslexia Awareness Month. Dyslexia is far more widely recognised now than it was but there is a significant amount of work to be done particularly in the area of education.

I thank the Leader for organising statements on road safety yesterday. This is an issue of critical importance. Unfortunately, because yesterday's Order of Business ran over, the time allocated to the debate was curtailed. I request that, perhaps in six months, we would have the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, back for follow-up statements on this issue. A number of very good suggestions, ideas and collaboration proposals emanated from the discussions yesterday. They could be developed upon further. We could afford the Minister of State an opportunity to give an update on some of those.

As I said yesterday, a lot of it is down to personal behaviour. It is a privilege to be able to sit behind the wheel of a car or sit on the saddle of a bike because not everybody can. There are people, such as me, who will never be able to drive and there are other people who will never be able to cycle and do not have that privilege. It is a privilege and that is why privileges should be respected. That is why people should abide by the rules of the road. There are enough circumstances outside of one's control when accidents happen but when it is within the control of people, certain respect should accord and people should simply abide by the rules of the road.

Finally, like everybody else I was shocked and saddened to hear of poor Seamus Carroll's passing. He was a lovely man. I have known him in these Houses for the past decade as an usher. Like all of our ushers he was extremely helpful. He was very courteous and a very nice man. To his wife, Treasa, who also works in the Houses, I extend my sympathy, as everybody else has done. It is a terrible loss and may he rest in peace.

Before I call the next speaker I welcome guests of our colleague, Senator Noel O'Donovan. They are a group from west Cork. I hope they enjoy their visit to Leinster House. They are all welcome.

I join the Leas-Chathaoirleach in welcoming our guests. They are most welcome, and I hope they have an enjoyable trip.

Today I raise the issue of pensions for our local councillors. I know the local democracy task force on the future of local government reported in March and an implementation plan was published in July. I have spoken to a lot of our local authority representatives, who have highlighted to me that there is still no clarity on what the future will be for them with regards to a pension. At the moment, once they have passed the age of 50 they are entitled to a gratuity payment which is maxed out at three times their salary. However, there is a widespread view among our councillors that they would prefer to pay into a pension and have that available to them once they retire. For me, one of the key points about all of this is that if the gratuity is maxed out after 20 years of service somebody who was elected to the council in their early 20s or 30s finds after 20 years of service that they have reached a ceiling. Our local authorities benefit from having people of experience together with new people coming forward. It is important that this area is looked at. I ask for a debate specifically on the issue of local authority pensions.

The international symbol for civil defence is a blue triangle on an orange background. It is worn by all members to show they are part of a worldwide network of committed people who are prepared to serve in their own country or overseas as part of practical disaster relief assistance. Meath Civil Defence is a brilliant example of what volunteering and community spirt can achieve. There are more than 170 active members, and it works under the administration of Meath County Council. These are people who give their time, train week after week and put themselves forward when their county needs them. That is whether they are responding to a flood, searching for a missing person, supporting the fire service or providing first aid at a local sporting event. On 21 December 2025, a devastating fire broke out at Meath Civil Defence headquarters in Mullaghboy Industrial Estate in Navan. A significant amount of equipment was destroyed, including vehicles, an ambulance, fire equipment, rescue boats, generators and other emergency response equipment. Thankfully, nobody was injured. They faced a huge setback, but they did not step back; they stepped up. Civil Defence units from across the country came to their assistance. Volunteers kept working, and now they are rebuilding and getting back to what they do best - protecting and supporting the people of Meath. This is the best of volunteering and Meath should be, and is, incredibly proud of its Civil Defence. They lost their building and they lost equipment, but they never lost the most important thing, which is their people, their commitment and their willingness to serve. I recently attended an event at their building where a booklet, Be Emergency Ready, was launched. It has since been delivered all around Ireland with great tips for all of us. On Saturday, two days from now, they will officially launch their headquarters. Although I cannot attend, today I want to recognise the work Meath Civil Defence does. I wish them the best of luck in continuing to help people from their new building for many years to come.

I join other Senators in offering my sincere condolences on the sad passing of Leinster House usher, Seamus Carroll. I offer condolences to his wider group of family, friends and all of the ushers in the House. I know they are a family among themselves, and it is a huge loss to lose one of their own while still working here.

I raise the call for specific funding for swimming pools. All across our country, particularly in my home county of Mayo, swimming pools have closed for various reasons. They offer a huge public utility, regardless of whether they are privately or publicly operated. To me it should not matter as long as they are open to the public and being used. There should be a funding scheme in place to revive and open swimming pools that are closed. I think of a privately operated pool at a hotel in Belmullet. I know Councillor Gerry Coyle and the community are working hard to create solutions that can make it feasible to reopen that. I think of a purpose-built specialised pool in Swinford for those with disabilities. People of all abilities could use it, but it was designed to be specialised for rehab and for those with a disability. If it were reopened, it could offer a huge amount to those who need it most in terms of rehabilitation. It could give dignity and access to swimming pools to wheelchair users who do not have that access at the moment. To go back to the Belmullet pool, the people of Erris have to drive an hour to get to their nearest indoor or heated swimming pool. A scheme that can help to reopen pools, whether private or public, would be welcomed. There should, at least, be some type of energy grants to support them with retrofitting to make them as energy efficient as possible, and to revive and reopen them to make them accessible to all members of the public. That would be welcome.

We started with Senator Fitzpatrick, who led the expressions of sympathy for Seamus Carroll, and to his wife Treasa, his children Cillian and Aisling, his family, friends and colleagues. Many Senators have spoken about what a fine person Seamus was, and how sad it is for all of those connected to him. We had a minute's silence yesterday to mark the passing of Seamus. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Senator Fitzpatrick also spoke about the lack of seriousness with regard to the safety of public representatives. She mentioned a recent AILG survey showing that 63% of councillors have experienced harassment and half of them have considered leaving public life for that reason. That is obviously a concern because democracy is based on people putting their names forward, showing up, standing up and helping to make decisions. It is definitely concerning. Senator Fitzpatrick asked for a change to the electoral law so that addresses would not be published - I also asked for that yesterday - and suggested that in the interim local authorities could provide an address sufficient to the demands of public life to which people could write should they wish to contact a councillor, and could also provide a sufficient public space where councillors could meet the people they represent.

Senator Kelleher spoke about his links with Cologne and his many visits there. Sie haben eine starke Botschaft gesandt. He gave a stark and important message to the ambassador, and I thank the Senator for that. It is important that we all play our role in tackling human injustices around the world. I agree that Germany should show more leadership with regard to Palestine. Indeed, the EU collectively needs to show leadership in relation to the two-state solution, so I thank him for his words.

Senator Clonan spoke about the children on urology waiting lists in Ireland, and said that children are effectively being denied proper development. It is concerning, as is what he said about the time-limiting wait list. Last week a number of issues about disability were raised, so we reached out to see if we could get the Minister to come to the House.

I am happy to confirm that on 14 October, we will have a debate on disability where many of these issues can be raised with the Minister.

Senator Tully spoke about the links between St. Kilian and Germany. She also spoke about the ALONE presentation in Buswells. It was interesting to be there and talk about the impact made by ALONE. It certainly has in terms of the number of people around the country who will visit homes and go through issues with the residents, in particular older people who live on their own. The Senator mentioned that ALONE mentioned that the income is halved when one half of a couple passes away and suggested there should be some type of support, even on a phased basis, but definitely, the living alone allowance should be increased and a technology allowance, which I would agree with as well.

The Senator asked about a national plan for loneliness. Two weeks ago I hosted a meeting in the audiovisual room where eight NGOs that deal with older people came together, which is called the Alliance of Age Sector NGOs. Loneliness is one of the areas that was highlighted. It is something that we have already brought to the Government's attention but we will do so again. Senator Tully also spoke about the social housing thresholds for Cavan, which need to be raised.

Senator Stephenson spoke about school transport and the fact that despite best efforts, notifications about a lack of a seat is issued at the very last minute. I totally appreciate how frustrating that situation is for a family, and particularly in rural places where there is no public transport and it is very difficult where either there is no car or that car is used by a parent for employment purposes.

The Senator also asked about concessionary tickets. Anecdotally, we all hear of people who have concessionary tickets but do not use them. The Senator has suggested that if people do not use their concessionary tickets that they should lose them. This is a concern. It should not be the case that people can access a ticket if they are not really going to use it.

Senator Rabbitte spoke about the issue of safeguarding. It is quite shocking that we had a long debate on safeguarding in the Joint Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport but the FAI did not bring its safeguarding personnel. As the Senator noted, safeguarding is not optional but is something that we must have everywhere. Parents not alone need accountability, they need to be able to trust the process and the process needs to work. Parents need to have the confidence that their children are in a situation where proper safeguarding measures exist. I agree with the Senator and we will seek a debate. I am not sure whether the Senator wants a debate on safeguarding in general or on the soccer element. I will clarify that aspect with her and we will look for a debate.

Senator Boyle spoke about Carrick, County Donegal, and Sliabh Liag. Donegal is a beautiful county. I do not get to visit it often enough but certainly it is lovely. The Senator is very concerned about the infrastructure as the wastewater system is not fit for purpose and there is a need to upgrade the plant, which we will support. I suggest that the Senator tables a Commencement matter on that wastewater plant. It is an ongoing problem with Irish Water is it not? There seems to be a lack of accountability.

Senator Boyhan spoke about open government data and exempted development. He gave a timeline for where he had sought to get sight of the 900 submissions to the Department and how a limited version was put on gov.ie. The Senator has put on record that he is not withdrawing his request for the information and will write to the Ministers and all Members. He also asked for a protected disclosure policy for Members of the Oireachtas, which we certainly will ask to be looked into.

Senator Brady mentioned that there was good news for the farming community. He thanked the Minister for agriculture for the extra month for grazing for those in the poultry industry. The Senator also spoke about the cyclists who traverse the roads without lights, high-vis clothing and helmets. I think that sometimes at the cusp of autumn and going into dark nights that some cyclists forget that it will get dark quickly. I echo the Senator's call for it to be mandatory for cyclists to have these items. I believe that cyclists should be stopped, if they can be, if they do not safety equipment and gear because it will keep them safe and keep everyone else safe.

Senator Andrews also spoke about income thresholds eligibility for social housing, which have not been revised since 2023. Without doubt, there are people caught in that trap no matter where they live and we will seek a debate on eligibility.

Senator Murphy O'Mahony mentioned the start of National Breastfeeding Week. It is an important week and I highlight the work of the subgroup here within the Oireachtas. It has been great to have had an increase in the number of lactation consultants over the past few years. The Senator also spoke about the fact that breastfeeding does not work out for many mothers and that we also must think of them.

Senator Lynch mentioned that next Wednesday she will host a presentation in the audiovisual room on stem cell transplants, which can only happen in two hospitals at this time. The Senator also mentioned that in CUH there is a big call for it and how, Mags McCarthy, a patient advocate, has been very much to the forefront of calling for this. It is part of a group list and Senator Lynch has called for it to be prioritised on its own. Senator Lynch also mentioned an air ambulance that arrived within seven minutes, which is quite incredible. I hope that the person she mentioned is doing well and will continue to recuperate. The Senator is right that it is important to mention when those who are in emergency response units really step up to the plate because so often we hear about the others. Our thanks to those.

Senator Harmon spoke about the issue of workers' rights and the fact that industrial action has begun. We certainly all want a solution to that. I know that the Government wants to engage in good faith but while the Minister, Deputy Chambers, and I have heard him say it repeatedly, is open to sitting down and negotiating, he does not want to have preconditions. We certainly hope that a resolution will be found. The Senator mentioned that students have called for better funding. I number of us met them in Buswells yesterday. They had a number of asks around school accommodation, registration fees and supports for Irish within universities.

Senator Crowe mentioned that October is Dyslexia Awareness Month and mentioned a survey that showed a lack of teacher training was the biggest issue. I completely agree with him that such teacher training should be mandatory. I also think that professional training for teachers is important. I have no doubt that training about dyslexia is an element of teacher training at this point and I believe that adequate supports and training should be provided to teachers within the system on an ongoing basis through the education centres and via summer courses. It is important that children receive an early diagnosis and teachers need to have the skills to pick up whether a child has dyslexia in order that extra supports and time can be given. Senator Scahill also spoke about the amount of time involved. If a diagnosis is made then extra time is granted during State exams and it is important that that time is allocated in class on a day-to-day basis in relation to exams and tests.

Senator Scahill spoke about the seven childcare projects and it is good to see Boyle included. This morning, I received a phone call from Councillor Sean Moylan who said exactly the same thing. We want those projects started as soon as possible and that is the question that Councillor Moylan asked me. We certainly want to see the projects started as soon as possible.

The Senator spoke about inclusive education. A small number of reader schools help those who have severe dyslexia. We need more of them around the country, particularly in more rural areas. The idea is that a child goes in for a year and after a year will have had sufficient support to be able to revert to his or her own school, which is a great thing. We should look for more. Effective teaching does change lives.

Senator Scahill also highlighted the CLÁR measure 2 that supports meals on wheels in Keadue.

Senator Conway spoke about the statements on road safety that we had yesterday. It had to be curtailed because the Order of Business overran. He looked for a debate again in six months on road safety. That is something I will ask for. It is a privilege to be able to drive. It is something we should not take for granted and it should be respected.

Senator Byrne spoke about pensions for local councillors and the fact that at this point in time there is no clarity on pensions. As we know, councillors are entitled to gratuities but they would prefer to pay into pensions, particularly those who are working as councillors full time. There should be flexibility because paying into a pension might not suit all councillors. Those who also have full-time jobs may be paying into other pension schemes. It is something we need to have a debate on and support our local representatives.

Senator Nelson Murray spoke about Civil Defence, the importance of Meath Civil Defence and the fire that sadly broke out in December 2025. Civil Defence has had to rebuild and we have seen the very best of volunteering through that. The new building launches on Saturday and we wish them all well. We also wish the volunteers in Civil Defence well all around the country. It is a wonderful organisation.

Senator Duffy spoke about funding for swimming pools and the fact that funding should be made available whether they are private or public. He highlighted a number of pools in Mayo which are private and have been closed. He raises an interesting point. A swimming strategy was produced in 2023, I think, which said every child in the country should have access to a swimming pool and be able to swim. Unfortunately, that is not the case. We will look for a debate on swimming pools and the funding that can and should be made available. The Senator will be able to contribute to that.

Before I put the Order of Business to the House, I would also like to be associated with the expressions of sympathy on the death of Seamus Carroll to his wife Treasa, his son Cillian and daughter, Aisling but also to his colleagues, his fellow ushers and all the staff here in the House, because Seamus was a gentleman and everybody knew him. He was always so courteous and helpful. May he rest in peace. It was very sad to hear of his passing.