Fiona O'Loughlin
Administrative Panel · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“Some 400 remote working hubs were also put in place, particularly following the Covid-19 pandemic, when we all had the realisation that some work - not all work - can be done remotely. The local enterprise boards are doing an incredible job in rural areas. I am speaking from experience.”
“I join the Cathaoirleach in welcoming both the Belgian ambassador and my friends Joeleen and James. Anyone who has visited Chat N' Chew in Newbridge will have met Joeleen. I certainly hope her lunch today will be up to the usual standard at Chat N' Chew. It was lovely to meet with our former colleague Catherine Martin last night.”
“Continuing the theme of Kildare connections, she is a grand-niece of the late Rathangan author Maura Laverty, who wrote many books and wrote the very first soap opera for RTÉ, "Tolka Row". We wish Áine well on her retirement. I wish to talk about a serious issue relating to the blueway.”
“I thank the Minister of State for her positive response. In terms of premises, I had meetings with Jigsaw over the years in Newbridge and we did look at various premises. No later than yesterday, I spoke to the chief executive of Kildare County Council in relation to this.”
“We know young people are showing signs of stress or anxiety and that it is a very stressful and anxious world. Interventions can be made at this stage. The reason I have tabled this Commencement matter is that I have been advocating for a long time for Newbridge to have a Jigsaw service.”
“I always hate talking about these figures, but in terms of the rate of youth suicide, Kildare has the highest rate in Leinster. According to CSO figures, 14 people died by suicide in Kildare in 2023, in 2022 the figure was 26 and in 2021 it was 27. Demand is rising sharply for services.”
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“They were told they had to travel to Portlaoise hospital instead. This also impacted women in Monasterevin because they were attending a clinic in Portarlington that was also cancelled. Many mums may need someone else to drive them or may have to organise babysitting for their other children. During a vulnerable time, it is a real shock to get a text cancelling a service like this out of the blue. The response we are getting is that it is because of staff shortages. Children and postpartum women should be a priority. There is no timeline for when the service will recommence in Athy and in Portarlington. It supports new mums in Portarlington and Monasterevin. When can we expect this vital and important service to recommence?”
“I thank the Minister of State for taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Health. I wish to comment on public service community radio. We have a great radio station in Kildare, Kfm. It provides an important public service. That was how I first heard of this particular situation. Some of the women impacted contacted me afterwards. There is a new modern primary day healthcare centre in Athy which provides a great service, including a postpartum service for new mothers. This is important to facilitate checkups for baby and mother, to begin the vaccination programme and to deal with things like breastfeeding support and postnatal depression support. It is a vulnerable time for mams and children. People quite suddenly received texts cancelling their appointments in Athy, in some cases with less than 24 hours' notice.”
“I move: That, notwithstanding anything in the Standing Orders relative to Public Business, the following arrangements shall apply in relation to the sittings of the Seanad on 28th and 29th May, 2025: (1) The Seanad on its rising on Tuesday, 27th May, 2025, shall adjourn until 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 28th May, 2025, and the following arrangements shall apply: ( a ) Commencement matters pursuant to Standing Order 31 shall be taken at 10.30 a.m. and up to eight Commencement matters may be selected by the Cathaoirleach for discussion; ( b ) Standing Order 32 shall stand suspended; ( c ) The Order of Business shall be proposed at 12.30 p.m. (2) The Seanad on its rising on Wednesday, 28 May, 2025, shall adjourn until 9 a.m. on Thursday, 29th May, 2025, and Standing Orders 31 and 32 shall stand suspended.”
“Ireland has the land bridge, which facilitates us in going through Britain to France and so forth, and we have a very good ferry service. That said, we need to look at the viability of all of our regional airports. We will ask for a debate on that. Many of them got funding last week, I believe. The sunny south east is a beautiful part of the country. We want to encourage people all around and outside of Ireland to go into Waterford and explore it.”
“It has been wonderful to see the apprenticeships that have been added and developed over the past number of years. We know that there is a shortage in terms of health and social care. It makes sense to me to have apprenticeships in, as the Senator said, occupational therapy and speech therapy. We need to make those available. We will look for the Minister for higher education to attend the House. It is something that we can ask to be raised within the higher education committee. Senator Conway spoke about the difference between Ireland and New Zealand. It is a very fine country and I was privileged enough to visit it once. The Senator compared the amount of airports and so on. We are in a different situation.”
“Senators Andrews and Fitzpatrick spoke about the presentation we had with the Irish Postmasters Union yesterday, which said that the equivalent of €3, or one cup of coffee, per citizen per year would support post offices. There is no option but to do that. Post offices are a lifeline in many communities, urban and rural. The service they give is second to none. When I had to go to buy a Leap card, because Newbridge is finally covered by the Leap card system, I was delighted to find I could get it in the post office. I could go in on a Saturday and get it. Long live all our post offices and our postmasters. They do a wonderful job. We will look for a debate on it. Senator Rabbitte raised a good point regarding apprenticeships in the education and training boards.”
“It said that, no matter what, Kneecap were taking it in their stride, it was adding to their notoriety and they were not going to lose any concerts because of it. While I was surprised by what happened, we still have to call out people who support terrorists and have a chant, bearing in mind that two MPs were murdered in the UK over the past few years. The Senator also spoke about post offices, as did my colleague Senator Fitzpatrick. It is a shame to see the office on St. Andrew's Street closing on a Saturday. It is a very fine post office, one of the finest that we have in the country. We are seeing the Rathmines office being sold off.”
“When we are at this point in the procedure and we are looking at potential changes in CAP, it is nearly like looking down the barrel of a gun for those who operate within the agricultural sector. It is getting more difficult. We need to ensure that the CAP funding is ring-fenced for agriculture and food security. We will invite the Minister, Deputy Heydon, to attend. Senator Andrews spoke about the situation with Kneecap. While I may have a reservation about what happened yesterday in terms of bringing them in, I have to say I would not support anybody flying a flag for Hezbollah and I would not support anybody using the term "Kill Tories" in his or her songs. I was listening to a piece on this on "Morning Ireland" this morning, and it was interesting.”
“The model we all want to see right around the country is one where we have food security, there is sustainability of supply and people are paid fairly. That is why a commitment was made by the Minister of State, Deputy Charlie McConalogue, when he was Minister for agriculture, to set up a department to address the cost of supply and ensure everybody was getting a fair price. This case should be referred there. Senator Tully called for a ban on below-cost selling. I agree that we need to have a debate with the Ministers for agriculture and enterprise and to perhaps widen it out to the new and important position that was created approximately two years ago. Senator Murphy O'Mahony spoke about the concerns of the farming community, and rightly so.”
“The annual awards she mentioned support the encouragement and determination of young people. I commend all of those involved. Senator Craughwell spoke about the situation involving one of the members of our diplomatic corps, Feilim McLaughlin, in Israel. We are served by excellent diplomats all around the world. I have had the opportunity, as have others, to meet people in different missions. We are extremely well served. The incident that happened yesterday, where people set out to intimidate those who were trying to find a pathway for peace and a way for us to support the vulnerable, was shocking. Senator Tully spoke about a large multinational taking over a store in Cavan and the fact that local suppliers were told they had to take a 40% cut. That is shocking.”
“Senator Ryan spoke about a serious accident at a junction in her constituency. I am glad that no fatality occurred but these are all warning signs. She mentioned the fact that Cork County Council was constrained by funding. A staggered junction is a very expensive thing to do. We will ask the Minister to attend to speak about the current funding for road safety and the criteria that are used. That is something that would be of interest to all. Senator Costello spoke about Citywise. It is wonderful to hear about organisations such as Citywise that operate a very proactive and positive model supporting young people and their families and catering for children both out of school and after school. She mentioned that approximately 500 young people attended the Durkan Centre. It is so important to positively endorse that work.”
“Increasingly, there is more support for that stance, but having had the opportunity in a different organisation, INPACE, to speak about Gaza, I was quite shocked at the level of support for Israel. Europe is not speaking with one voice and we need to speak with one voice. Senator McCarthy spoke about the sadness and tragedy of addiction, marginalisation and homelessness for those suffering from addiction, and the waiting list for detox beds. He is right that it is important to give people a second chance, and an opportunity for recovery, to build their own lives and to rebuild the lives of their families. It is always important to have hope and to give that opportunity. The Senator is hosting a briefing in the audiovisual room at 12.30 p.m. I certainly encourage anybody who can go to it to do so.”
“Next Thursday, the Tánaiste will be in the Seanad to discuss Gaza and give us the timeline for the occupied territories Bill. This is something we are all engaged about and with, and want to see progress on. We will all have the opportunity to speak. It will take place slightly earlier at 9 a.m. next Thursday. That is important. I will also reference the decision, which was mentioned by the Senator, to review the EU-Israel association agreement to examine compliance with human rights. This is something that Ireland first called for last year. Spain joined with that call. We must do everything to let Israel know that the world is watching and what we find absolutely unacceptable. The Taoiseach spoke about this last night. He said that he would do everything to ensure that work was put in place and the recommendations would be implemented.”
“We started with Senator Fitzpatrick, leading for Fianna Fáil, talking once again about the very distressing scenes and news coming from Gaza, including wilful starvation and the murder of more than 50,000 people, 70% of whom are women and children. Every day in Gaza, at least ten children lose at least one limb. Just think of the lifelong consequences for them. Yesterday, we saw the horrific shooting in Washington of a young couple who were about to get married. An Irish diplomat was present. We also saw the Israeli defence forces shoot - I will not say "at" - around a diplomatic corps, including some young diplomats from Ireland, which, again, was shocking and appalling. We need to use every single opportunity to call all of that out.”
“The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding the arrangements for the sittings of the House on 28 and 29 May 2025, to be taken on conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; and No. 2, statements on public procurement, to be taken at 11:45 a.m. and to conclude at 1.15 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 ten minutes each, all other Senators not to exceed five minutes each, time may be shared, and the Minister to be given not less than ten minutes to reply to the debate.”
“It is therefore important that a public service be given to the students who need to travel. I appreciate the Minister of State's response. One message I would like him to bring back to the Department is to look again at a town bus for Newbridge and Kildare that will link in with the public transport network.”
“I note the fact that 240 towns and villages have been newly connected to the public transport network. That is welcome. There have been 61 new connections to healthcare facilities and 41 to higher education facilities. That is notable and laudable, and we need to say "Well done" to all those involved. I am pleased that the 888 route is expected to launch next month. That is important. We need to get the timetables. I am also pleased that the Suncroft-to-Newbridge-Kildare route is at an advanced stage. It will not come soon enough for the people who live there. As regards the review being carried out of Newbridge to Maynooth - and I appreciate that other sensitivities need to be looked at - the concerns are that some of the commercial bus operators can stop at any time and then students can be stranded.”
“Work has been carried out on that and possibilities are being looked at as regards also connecting the likes of Nurney and Boley into a service with Suncroft. The third part of this Commencement matter is the fact that a number of third level students travel from Newbridge to Maynooth University but there is no public bus service. This needs consideration, as does a town bus route in both Newbridge and Kildare. We have a lot of new housing estates in both towns that are about three miles from the train station. I would like to see both those towns get a town bus in order to bring people using public transport to the train station.”
“There is a strong, vibrant community that lives along that route and is looking forward with great anticipation to its commencement, which I understand will be in early June. We do not have a timetable yet but, obviously, the frequency is important. While we have quite good public transport on linear lines through Kildare, the cross-Kildare service is not so good. Another matter that I mentioned and that I want to get an update on is the connectivity between Suncroft and the towns of Kildare and Newbridge. Currently, there is only one service a day. That will not get young people into school - there is no secondary school in Suncroft - or get people into work or in to meet the commuter trains to Dublin.”
“It will service different stops all along the route, particularly the Lullymore heritage park, which lies between Rathangan and Allenwood. A number of people from Allenwood and Rathangan who work there do not have any access to public transport. Also, as regards our visitor experiences, if the Minister of State has not been to Lullymore Heritage and Discovery Park, I would recommend that he go there. It is a fantastic experience for the young and old. We want to ensure that people can access it using public transport such that people will be able to get the train to Newbridge or Kildare and get the 126 bus, for example, into Rathangan and then be able to access the 888 bus, or travel by bus to Allenwood and get the 888 over.”
“I thank the Minister for coming back in to take this matter. I really appreciate it. We are all conscious of the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan, which was launched in October 2021. It is a very important plan. Its key objectives concern increased access, enhanced connectivity, improved frequency and innovative solutions. It is managed by the NTA working with other partners such as Rural Link and TFI. It looks also at town bus services. It has certainly had quite a lot of success. I have seen first-hand the success of the Local Link buses. There are a few on the radar where a lot of work has been done and we are nearing the completion point. I am looking for an update on those. The proposed 888 route in south Kildare will connect Athy to Monasterevin, on to Rathangan and Allenwood.”
“We are led to believe it was progressive. There are two issues in terms of co-operation, those being, fisheries and energy. The present plans are finishing next year. It is important we have a debate in the House on that summit with the Minister.”
“I think particularly of Scoil Na Naomh Uilig in Newbridge, which is the largest and newest school and has the most socioeconomic challenges, yet it has been left out of the past two schemes. There is a situation in Edenderry and other parts of the country where there is a girls primary school and a boys primary school but only one of the schools is in the DEIS scheme. It is important that we ask the Minister for education for a new plan. I note the programme for Government committed to a new DEIS plus scheme and to expanding the home school community liaison co-ordinator. We also need more flexibility to support schools in addressing problems as they arise. I would like to see a debate on the DEIS scheme with the Minister for education. The last thing I wish to ask for a debate on is the EU-UK summit, which happened on 19 May.”
“I also raise the issue of DEIS. We all know that DEIS is meant to reduce educational disadvantage and promote equity across our schools. Of course, equity is different from equality and it is important that we try to promote it. The success of this programme has been clear. Schools in the programme have significantly closed the gap with non-DEIS schools. There was an OECD report last July in which the resourcing of schools to address educational disadvantage was reviewed. Ireland got an excellent score. It was found that we had an educational system that consistently outperformed many other countries and also established socioeconomic fairness. While that is good, many schools are left out of the programme.”
“I support the Order of Business as outlined by the Leader. I thank Kfm, my local radio station, for its excellent service in public broadcasting and bringing issues of concern to all our ears. This morning, I learned through Kfm that there was a cancellation of midwifery services in the primary care centre in Athy. Many expectant mums were given less than 24 hours’ notice and were told that they would have to travel to Portlaoise hospital for subsequent services. Maternity services are hugely important. It is a sensitive and happy time for many. It is also challenging. We have to protect them. Athy has a large population. That these services would be cancelled literally overnight is simply wrong. I ask that this be brought to the attention of the Minister for Health. I will be tabling a Commencement matter next week on it.”
“We want to ensure we have robust legislation that will go on our Statute Book. I have agreed to this and we will continue communications with the Minister's office and the Department. I certainly look forward in the not-too-distant future to being able to bring this to Final and Report Stages here in the Seanad. I thank the Minister once again for his support.”
“Catfishing is used to deceive, lure and manipulate and leads to blackmail and financial exploitation. We are familiar with the horrific situation of McCartney in Newry who is now, thankfully, behind bars. He catfished young girls all around the world to the extent that one young girl in America, while only 12 years of age, took her own life and, 18 months later, her father took his own life. There is a lot of damning evidence out there and I believe we should use our powers as legislators to ensure we keep people safe in every way possible. I have discussed this with the Minister and I appreciate his support. I have also spoken to officials within the Department and we have agreed there will be a period of time where the Department will dig deep into the possibility of unintended consequences.”
“We are very conscious, as in so many areas relating to the online world, of our young people in particular. It is important to send a strong message to society that catfishing will not be tolerated. At this time it is and anybody can go online and create a false identity for themselves. Obviously, in situations where fraud has been carried out, there is other legislation that can deal with that, but in many instances it is very difficult to find the perpetrator. In several cases where I have spoken to victims, they have gone to the trouble and expense of hiring private investigators to try to find the individuals. In some cases, they were able to find IP addresses and in others they were not. It is basically throwing more money after more money after more money.”
“The impact of the catfishing they endured on both an emotional and financial level has been absolutely huge. One particular lady lost €250,000 during Covid, has moved jurisdictions and has been in a very difficult situation both emotionally and financially. Sometimes we think of catfishing in just the romantic sense, but a young man, Seán McNicholas, went to the trouble of sending me a study and survey he had done relating to understanding the issue of catfishing and sports participants. It is very interesting reading. He has given me permission to use his name. I am also happy to send it on to the Minister's Department. He did a lot of work and a really big survey on the impact of catfishing within the sports world, and it is quite shocking to read. We have agreed at every level that we want to take catfishing seriously.”
“I thank the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, for coming to the House to take this Stage of the Bill. There are a few people I wish to thank for bringing this Bill to fruition. First, my former colleague and Senator, Lisa Chambers, who put a lot of work into this Bill. It first appeared under her and my name but she was the lead on it and it is important at this point to thank her for that work. I thank all the people who contacted me, particularly in the past three months, regarding the absolute necessity to have catfishing as an offence in its own right. We are all familiar with the anecdotes, especially when The 2 Johnnies aired their podcast, which was fascinating listening and I listened to it myself. It is time we stepped up and took this seriously. There were several people who contacted me and I spoke to them at length.”
“I wish to briefly mention that it has been ten years since the referendum on marriage equality. I was very much a part of that campaign ten years ago. Seeing that we are celebrating ten years of marriage equality this week, I came across a small poem written in 1325 by Hafez: ... men and women who are married And men and men who are Lovers, And women and women Who give each other Light, It is so important that we reflect on that. I remember, in particular, the strong personal stories that people were so courageous to share. We need to reflect on the situation ten years later. Sadly, homophobia is still an everyday reality. As a country, we rank 14th - lower than the middle - in terms of LGBTQ and human rights in Europe. We need to look again at banning conversion practices and completing the assisted human reproduction Act.”
“Kearney mentioned equity for those who joined after 2013, long-service increments and the introduction of the rank of lance corporal, which was committed to by the Government. We need to see a clear roadmap. I would like the Minister for Defence to be asked to come to the House to have a debate on how best to support those who are members of PDFORRA. Having said that, I give a shout out to the members of the Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel, ONE, the veterans. It is always a privilege to meet them when they hold their commemorations. They are doing some good ongoing work on supporting veterans, especially those who are homeless and those who need a place to gather. I am working on a project in Newbridge with Cormac Kirwan, the general secretary, that will provide both of those spaces. I am looking forward to that.”
“I support the Order of Business as outlined by the Leader. PDFORRA is a great organisation. It was founded in 1990 and represents in excess of 6,500 members of the Defence Forces. I was fortunate enough to have known the founding member, Mr. John Lucey, who worked closely with Mr. Jim Brady from my area of Kildare. In recent days Mr. Mark Keane has stepped down after eight years as president. He is a fine person who served with great distinction and dignity. I wish him well and thank him for all the work he did. We have a new president now, Mr. Araon Kearney. There is also a female deputy, Ms Sandra Daly. The key priority for the outgoing and incoming presidents, along with Mr. Gerard Guinan, the excellent general secretary, is the pay and conditions of those who serve. Mr.”
“All of this is expected to improve clinical outcomes for patients. It is important we get information on where we are with these two types of data-sharing systems that will help professionals and patients.”
“It is important to ask the Minister to come to the House to have a debate on those 212 recommendations, get a progress report on where some of the important recommendations are and look into the ones that have not been advanced. The other issue I want to speak about relates to electronic health records. Data for patients is typically held in separate systems across separate care settings. Commitments have been made to develop a national shared care record which will enable healthcare professionals working in acute hospitals to see information about the care a patient is receiving in the community and vice versa . This is critical to the reform of our healthcare. Equally so is a national electronic health record system providing a digital health record of a patient's journey through life.”
“She feels very strongly, and I agree with her, that the serious crime review findings in this case should be released and would be of particular importance to domestic violence services in understanding the background to what happened. Separate to that, there has been an independent study on familicide and domestic and family violence death reviews which made 212 recommendations. Three consultation groups were established: a family consultation group to support victims, a cross-functional interdepartmental group and an advisory group of NGOs. I understand the Minister is meeting with the groups and that a lot of work has been carried out on some recommendations, particularly the one on guardianship rights.”
“This is the first time Senator Ahearn has taken the Order of Business during this mandate, so I wish him well with that. All of us across the country were absolutely shocked when, nine years ago, we heard of the appalling murder of Clodagh Hawe and her three sons, Liam, Niall and Ryan, by their husband and dad. I was very moved over the weekend to hear her sister Jacqueline Connolly speaking eloquently about the impact that horrific tragedy had on their family. I had not realised there had been two previous tragedies in the family. Sometimes it is awful to hear how much any one family has to endure. Jacqueline has just finished writing a book called Deadly Silence .”
“I move: That Seanad Éireann expresses its deep sadness on the death of former Senator Paddy O'Toole, conveys its sincere condolences to his family, and expresses its gratitude for his notable contribution as a Member of Seanad Éireann to Irish public life and for his dedicated service to the people of Ireland.”
“The Government did not suggest that; it was the Judiciary. The Judiciary presented a report to the Minister for consideration. The Senator is correct that it suggested a 17% increase. I raised this matter last week on the floor of the House. It would be incredibly regrettable. Businesses would go out of business if there was an increase. It would lead to increased legal fees. I am sure all Senators will join me in asking the Minister, although he has to consider it, not to recommend this. We are with Senator O'Reilly on that.”
“We are not doing enough on affordable housing. There are also concerns regarding the 350 social housing units. I cannot see a situation because of Part V in which they would be lost but I appreciate the Senator's concerns. I suggest he submit a Commencement matter specifically about the site. There are other partners. It is a significant area and Dublin badly needs it. He has our support. He also mentioned the sad passing of Garda Kevin Flatley. We had a minute's silence for him yesterday. It is so tragic. Everybody I know is completely shocked by it. He seems to have been a very fine man and was doing overtime in an area he would not normally be in when this happened. We think of his wife, daughters, family, neighbours and the community. Senator O'Reilly spoke about the possibility of personal injury awards being increased by 17%.”
“He said that we have to be careful to make sure we do not lose highly skilled Department of Defence personnel in that area. We will ask the Tánaiste, separate from the debate on Gaza, to come to the House on that matter. They need to be two separate debates. Senator Scahill spoke about the safe routes to school. They were designed for a specific reason; he is right about that. It is disappointing to hear they are not being continued. We will ask the Minister to come to the House on that matter and for it to be raised it at the transport committee. We could also ask for it to be raised at the education committee. It is important. They money spent was not huge but it made a real difference to make it safe for our children. Senator Andrews spoke about the Glass Bottle site. It would be disappointing to lose the 550 affordable housing units.”
“There are eight now. I raised the issue on the floor because I was disappointed to see there were only five submissions and the closing date was 19 May. As the Senator said, it is an important area. A lot of good reforms have been carried out. Those who have concerns need to put their submissions in. The Senator is absolutely right to highlight it. Senator Craughwell spoke about Ryan Cornelius, who has been in prison in Dubai for 17 years. I genuinely do not know anything about the situation but I note his wife is Irish. If Senator Craughwell sends me the details, I will forward them to the Tánaiste's Department. We will see what kind of movement we can get. Senator Craughwell also spoke about the Air Corps decision to move the CASA aircraft to Shannon and the decision to move the Garda helicopter to Edmondstown.”
“The NTA is quite helpful in discussing possibilities and the extension of existing links. I hope it can be solved at a local level. If not, the Senator has our support in bringing it up at a national level. While we try to support public transport and encourage people to use it, we need to make sure those links work. Senator Nelson Murray spoke about the consultation concerning insurance reforms. I looked at that last week and there were only five submissions.”
“It is always a fantastic initiative and I love going to it. I think Senator Duffy has a particular interest in going this year. I look forward to being there. Senator Boyhan is correct in saying there are serious issues and concerns regarding tariffs and trade. The foreign affairs and trade committee is having its first meeting today and this will be very high on its agenda. I know the Cathaoirleach has proposed setting up a special select committee in the Seanad to deal with trade issues. Within those two places, we certainly have the opportunity. We can look for a general debate on the matter also. Senator Maria Byrne spoke about BusConnects and the Annacotty Business Park not being catered for. That is short-sighted. In Kildare, I do find the Local Link bus helpful.”
“The Senator also spoke about the horrific situation that is human trafficking. It is going on in every village and every town. There are these temporary brothels set up. Young women are coming in under the illusion of getting a job and having a new life and their passports are taken from them. It is shocking. It is modern day sex slavery, essentially. Well done to those who had that conference, Hidden in Plain Sight. We need to do more of it. I know through the years there have been different presentations by Ruhama and others in the audiovisual room. I am sure they will be coming back to us again. It is certainly something we need to be aware of. Senator Boyhan spoke about the Bord Bia report, which highlighted €17 billion of exports. The Senator also highlighted Bloom, which is coming up.”
“We absolutely need consistency across the board, in terms of the inspections and the reports. The Senator raised the possibility of looking for free well water testing. That would play a positive role, I think. Obviously, there would be a cost to the State which would have to be queried. There are certainly public health risks in terms of problems and contamination of water. We will look for a debate on the whole area. Senator Duffy spoke about the No Name Club and the new strategy. No Name Club has always been a great organisation which empowers young people and encourages them to have positive activities without the necessity to look for alcohol or whatever. It is great to hear there is a new strategy in that regard. I am looking forward to hearing more about it.”
“If they were not given the hours that they clearly need, that is a problem. Equally, maybe they have been given the hours but there is a problem trying to get people to work with them. Either way it is a problem. We have always prided ourselves on trying to ensure that people can live independently in their homes as long as they can. We must do more and more. There have been difficulties recruiting home help workers. I see that right across the country and indeed in my own constituency. We will certainly look for the Minister to come in because it is an important issue. We need to make sure that we have the correct policies in place. We will ask the Minister to come in for that. Senator Noonan spoke about the damning report on septic tank inspections and the inconsistencies with the regime.”
“We can ask for that debate, certainly, but I think the Senator should also go further with that specific case as a particular situation. Senator Clonan spoke passionately, as he always does, about the situation in Gaza. When we think of 2025, the year that we are living in, and we look back at the time of the diary of Anne Frank, I remember as a young child reading that and wondering how it could happen, and all the adults in my life saying nobody in the world knew that was happening at the time. We all know about what is happening now. It adds to that sense of helplessness. Senator Collins spoke about the lack of home help and two particular situations. I genuinely do not know if those two families have been given hours but cannot get the individuals, or whether they were just not given those hours. There are two sides to it.”
“There are other services, but I have no doubt we all have ideas and suggestions we can bring forward to this, so I am happy to look for that debate also. Senator Boyle spoke about the very sad situation of the two young men who were drowned in Donegal. We join the Senator in giving his very deepest sympathies to the families. Somebody I know has a connection with the families, with the boys, very fine young people and families left devastated in a community that has seen an awful lot of grief. We share the Senator's sympathies. Senator Boyle also spoke about the National Ambulance Service and the need for the review. He spoke about a specific situation. It is shocking when we hear of any situation where people are left without a timely service.”
“That could possibly be rolled out in other areas as well, particularly in areas of deprivation. Senator Fitzpatrick also spoke about post offices. Councillor Tom O'Callaghan came in and gave a briefing as to where the situation is at. All our communities and villages and towns that we all represent would be lost without the post office network. For many people, especially those who are older, their weekly visit to the post office might be their only social contact. We will look for a debate on the future of the network. To be fair, a lot has been put in place in terms of extra services that post offices can provide. When I went to buy a Leap card the other day, it was great to be able to go to the post office and do that.”