I, too, express my condolences to the family of Ciara Mageean. It is a terrible way to leave this world.

Co-operation is the name of the game in the world we now live in and we are very fortunate, as we hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, that we are able to call on our colleagues in the UK and France to provide security for this State off the coast of the State.

I think that co-operation needs to be marked by the State when the Presidency ends. The Royal Navy and the French navy need to be thanked for the time and effort they have put into providing security for this State, particularly the Royal Navy, which is not from a member of the EU but is here off the east coast of Ireland and is providing security 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is a sad reflection on the State that we had to call on close friends to provide that security but we are not unique in that. Cyprus and Denmark had to do the same and I have no doubt, given the world we are now living in, that every country that takes over the European Presidency will find themselves in the same boat.

That is something we need to reflect on as we debate the Defence (Amendment) Bill, which will come before this House in the not-too-distant future. The days of acting alone are gone. Co-operation, transparency and friendship are what will be important in the world we now live in.

The Leader will now respond to the Order of Business.

I thank all the Senators for their contributions.

Senator Fiona O'Loughlin acknowledged the sad passing of a former Member of these Houses, Gerry Collins, who served with distinction for many years. His family has a proud record of serving their community in Limerick for a long time. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Collins family, and Deputy Niall Collins in particular.

I think every Senator who contributed spoke about Ciara Mageean and the person that she was. I know everyone in this House was extremely upset about her passing at the young age of 34. From her previous career, Senator Ní Chuilinn would have known Ciara very well as she was coming through athletics at a young age. She achieved many great things as a runner, particularly winning the European Championships in 2024. When people talk about her fight in her last 18 months, it was similar to her fight to get through a gap that did not exist to win that gold medal in 2024. Her determination has been inspirational for so many people. It was said that people who have never met her are so upset. I have never met Ciara Mageean. I have watched her running numerous times. I have seen so many interviews with her. I remember when she was running in the World Championships and came fourth, which is the worst position you can come in, she did a five-minute interview constantly smiling and talking about how disappointed she was but trying to be positive. She put that positivity into her last two years of a fight that was impossible to win. She has left a huge legacy and we all should thank her for that.

Senator Aubrey McCarthy spoke about the 13 SuperValu stores that experienced a cyberattack. Obviously food was affected by that. This is not the first incident; it has happened quite a bit across Europe. We have had cyberattacks on the HSE as well. I will ask the Minister for justice to come in for a debate on cybersecurity. When we talk about security and defence, it is actually online and around cybersecurity where most countries are most vulnerable at the moment. I will ask the Minister for a debate on that.

Senator Conor Murphy spoke in relation to the constitutional future, which is being published. Fine Gael is publishing a unified Ireland document this weekend at its Ard-Fheis in Cork. This is about having a pathway to a unified Ireland. Everyone in this House agrees with that, but it is about how we get there. As Senator Murphy said, this is an opportunity to put forward a proposal not only for having 32 counties but having opportunities for the 26 Counties currently in the Republic of Ireland, and not seeing it as a burden—as some might see taking on the Six Counties—but as an opportunity for the whole island of Ireland. We should all support and welcome that.

Senator Nessa Cosgrove asked that No. 11 be taken before No. 1, which was seconded by Senator Harmon. I am happy to agree to that.

Regarding funding for local authorities, I know it very well. I got a letter yesterday from Tipperary County Council about the struggle it is going to have in its forthcoming budget in terms of the lack of funding. Local authorities, even Tipperary itself, are proposing an increase of over 10% on rates, which is not the way to do it. It is putting huge pressure on councillors - I am sure Sligo is the same - to make tough decisions on where that funding can be got. There are supports there from the Department of housing and local government. I will speak to the responsible Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, and see if he can come in on this. However, there are huge challenges. It all comes back to roads and the increase in costs in road maintenance. As the Senator knows as a former councillor and most of us in this building know, particularly in rural constituencies, road maintenance is one of the biggest requests from constituents regarding improved road conditions.

Senator Black spoke in relation to the very sad passing of Dónal Lunny. We spoke about Ciara Mageean from a sports perspective. From a musician and culture perspective, Dónal left an incredible legacy for this island of Ireland. When we talk about new musicians coming through and that culture of Irish music, we are rebuilding and changing slightly that proud of sense of Irish culture and music that there at the moment, particularly in young people. It would not be there if it was not for people like Dónal and others. It is very sad to see him pass but he has left a huge legacy.

In relation to Families in Addiction Recovery Ireland, it had a vigil outside. It was a vigil of positivity where people recover. Often in this House and others, we speak about people who are having challenges and supports that need to be there but there are always positivities and people recover from whatever addiction they have. It is huge for the individual but it is massive for a family and the people who love them most to see someone recover. The Senator asked for a debate on drugs. I happy to do it. It has been asked by other colleagues to have a debate on drugs following the committee's report on drugs. I was willing to do that before Christmas but we will not see findings of the drugs committee report until after Christmas. It has been requested to push that back further by Opposition colleagues. I am happy to push it back to after Christmas, so we will see if there are some tangible results from that report. If the Senator is happy to wait until after Christmas, it might be beneficial to have it then.

Senator Fitzpatrick spoke about Diabetes Awareness Month and gave a great example of her niece, Cara, who has proven that it does not matter if one has diabetes or not, but you can achieve anything you want in the world. That is a great credit to her, and I wish to acknowledge that. I will ask for a debate with the Minister on that in relation to funding and the progress of the national diabetes strategy because that is a very important strategy going forward for the future, but there is an opportunity for Senators to discuss that. I will try to get the Minister available for that.

Senator Boyle raised Killybegs Community Hospital and the promise that all beds would have been opened. Only six out of 15 have been opened at the moment and nine more have not. Community hospitals are hugely important, whether it is for Killybegs or anywhere else across the country. When people go into hospital, they want to be in their local communities to ensure that loved ones can visit them without too much hassle. I will speak to the Minister on the Senator's behalf to see if we can get some credible timelines. The timelines that the Senator was given previously obviously were not the case and that is not acceptable. I will speak to the Minister to see if we can get more realistic timeframes.

Senator Keogan spoke in relation to the Liberty Recycling scandal. We do not know all the facts, obviously. I do not know all the facts. I am not doubting what the case is. I am certainly not doubting that it is the only NGO that has challenges like that. There needs to be more scrutiny on it. The Minister for Finance said that a number days ago and that we need to have more scrutiny on how money is spent. Let us see where that goes. There are good NGOs as well. If those NGOs are being blackened due to a view of how other NGOs act or how they spend their money, then it is in everyone's interest, including all NGOs, that more scrutiny, as the Senator suggested, should be put in place.

Senator Lynch spoke in relation to the vacant above the shop grant, which is a very positive grant, but she made a very valid point.

That grant can only be used if the premises to be redeveloped is for a sole trader or individual owner who can rent it, but it cannot be used by companies. There are a lot of one-person businesses that are companies. They do it for tax purposes. They should be allowed to use that grant. I will speak with the Minister. A Commencement matter on it might be the best approach to take. It is a very credible suggestion that it should be changed.

Senator Flaherty spoke about driving tests and the challenges people had in that regard. Again, that is a matter on which I will speak to the Minister directly. It is only a small number of people. We always need to be sensitive to those sorts of things.

Regarding "Morning Ireland" broadcasting from the USA, I do not know how much it costs or why the programme is there. A lot of people in Tipperary, if not in Longford, are talking about the US elections. For the Senator's information, RTÉ is in before the sports and media committee tomorrow. Any Member is allowed to attend. It is normally a full house when RTÉ appears before the sports committee. The Senator can put that question to Kevin Bakhurst if the Chair of the committee gives him an opportunity.

Senator Andrews spoke about the flats on Rathmines Avenue and the fact that the rents had increased. He is looking for a debate with the Minister on it. That is a matter for Dublin City Council and its councillors to deal with. I know he has spoken about it before. The tenants deserve a good standard of quality accommodation and if that is not happening, it is not right or appropriate. However, as I said, it is a matter for Dublin City Council.

Senator Maria Byrne also spoke about Diabetes Awareness Month, but in the context of income protection. One can get income protection in the UK but not in Ireland. We have done it for people who are survivors of cancer to ensure that it does not affect them when they apply for a mortgage. This is another example of where something should be done. As I said previously, I am happy to have a debate with the Minister on that. I will contact the Minister's office.

Senator Scahill spoke about the vacant to vibrant programme launched by the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon. This is one of a range of measures that have been brought forward in the last ten years in terms of rebuilding rural Ireland, and rural towns in particular. He gave the great example of Strokestown, which applied for funding for different things through the Department of rural affairs and the former Ministers, Heather Humphreys and Michael Ring. The town is now seeing tangible results and benefits from that. As a result, there is even more eagerness to apply for more funding and to continuously upgrade the town. Every one of us in constituencies right across the country can point, if we want to be positive, to huge investment going into rural towns.

Senator Harmon spoke about the report on Cork University Hospital and Jennifer Kearney being put under pressure. I do not know if that is the case. What I can say is that it certainly would not be coming from a Minister to put pressure on someone senior in Cork University Hospital. I have had the opportunity to be in Cork University Hospital a number of times and the staff, as the Senator noted, are incredible people, but there is understaffing and we do not want that to affect the service that is being provided to the people there, whether that is through the surgical hub or any other type of service that is needed for people in Cork. The Senator is right that a number of politicians will be down in Cork this weekend. We might see her there or we might not. I do not know. On a serious note, Cork University Hospital is seen as one of the best hospitals across the country, but that does not mean it does not have its own challenges and need for support. I will talk to the Minister on that.

Senator Boyhan spoke in relation to Philomena's law being passed in the UK. This was due to incredible work done by a number of individuals in particular. It enables people to access the supports and entitlements they were otherwise not getting.

Senator Duffy spoke about Avril Greham, who passed away. She was an incredible activist in the town of Ballina. When we spoke last night about it, he was really upset about her passing and inspired by the work she did in the community. Those things will not be forgotten, but it is a sad day where someone has left such a legacy in their own community and town and did it with so many other personal challenges.

I presume she never talked about it and never showed she had challenges that I or other Senators might not have. She led a life of huge credit to her. I am sure her family, as sad as they are, are incredibly proud of the life she lived.

Senator Martin Conway spoke about Irish Water and the Lahinch water scheme. It is good that a non-statutory public consultation is to take place. For the past couple of months, the Senator has been pushing non-stop for the public in Lahinch and Ennistymon to be given an opportunity to have such a consultation. I am happy that it is happening. I can inform the Senator that when I leave this room, I will meet the CEO of Irish Water so I will be able to pass on his appreciation that this is happening. It has taken a little time - I will pass on that message as well - but there needs to be a bit of common sense in relation to some of the schemes that have been put forward. The Senator has raised that numerous times. Thankfully, Irish Water has seen the wisdom to open up a public consultation.

Senator Craughwell spoke about security co-operation. When this Presidency ends, the Minister for foreign affairs will thank all of the countries that have been supportive from a security point of view or on any other level of diplomacy, particularly the Royal Navy and the French navy. As the Senator said, this is not unique, as much as people talk about getting support from other countries from a security or defence perspective. A lot of other countries have to do it. Almost every country in the EU has to get co-operation and support from their neighbours and friends in the EU, and we are no different. I will pass on to the Minister the Senator's appreciation on that. As he said, we will have an opportunity in the coming weeks to debate defence and security in this Chamber. I will make sure there will be ample opportunity within that debate to talk about how things have changed in this country, and how we need to change our own perspective on defence and security.

Senator Nessa Cosgrove has moved an amendment No. 1 to the Order of Business, "That No. 11 be taken before No. 1", seconded by Senator Harmon. The Leader has indicated that he is willing to accept the amendment. Is the amendment agreed? Agreed.