Joe Flaherty
Nominated by the Taoiseach · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“To his credit, the responses are skilfully crafted, and if you were not familiar with the situation, you would say there is nothing wrong here, move along. However, that simply is not true. The entire Lanesborough community is aggrieved and feels that it is now being used as a mere pawn.”
“Patients tell me that, in many cases, they are not given the option of booking the surgery in Lanesborough, but instead are being encouraged to attend the Longford clinic. I would be more than happy if Dr. Booth wants to continue his five-day service in Longford, but it cannot be at the expense of a rural surgery.”
“Regrettably, I have to raise this issue for a second time. It relates to Dr. Booth, who has taken over a GMS contract for two surgeries servicing Lanesborough and the larger Longford town in County Longford.”
“It is a dangerous generalisation the Senator is putting forward and she is forgetting that in the front line of dealing with housing and difficult cases are staff and housing departments across the country. From my experience, housing staff generally think through each case.”
“The consultants at the Rotunda were quickly brought to heel when they were not complying with their contractual obligations. It is critical that we do not allow this situation to continue any longer in Lanesborough. A contract is a contract, as I said. What we are seeing here is a concerted effort to close a rural surgery by stealth.”
“They did not write the legislation, but we need legislation to frame what we are doing. We are, on a daily basis, tackling a crisis. On the front line in that effort are our housing staff. We should commend them at every opportunity rather than throwing out gross generalisations that are deeply hurtful.”
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“I welcome the representatives from the International Police Association. I am glad the Cathaoirleach clarified who they are because when I saw all the uniforms, I thought it was a coup. I am reassured to know that there will not be a coup here today.”
“That is why it is so critical that we have the Minister, Deputy Chambers, at the tiller at a time when Ireland has truly become the gateway to the Europe. Now we have an opportunity to set ourselves apart as the poster boys for Europe in terms of health, education, disability services, infrastructure and climate.”
“Whitaker's economic development plan in the sixties which in large part delivered the country's first golden age and predated the Celtic tiger, but critical building blocks were provided earlier by the visionary Seán Lemass, who sent emissaries to Europe for investors to come back to Ireland and set up factories in the wake of the Second World War. Indeed, we saw one of those in Longford, with the Hirsch Ribbon factory. We then had the Taoiseach, Jack Lynch, who brought us into the EEC, which is now the EU, a move that was vehemently opposed by the main Opposition party until the early 1990s. There is a constant, though, in that generational and evolving narrative, and that is Fianna Fáil.”
“However, I make the point that these are, indeed, unprecedented times and I would suggest and argue that Deputy Chambers should remain in the Department of public expenditure role for the lifetime of this Government. The new accelerating infrastructure task force is chaired by Deputy Chambers and has been established by him to oversee the Department's programme of reform and unblock barriers and accelerate infrastructure delivery. It is a critical component in the Government's work programme and is rigorously focused on tackling the most important barriers to the delivery of critical economic infrastructure. We saw T.K.”
“The obvious solution for that is a sustained and planned decentralisation and taking as many Government functions and Departments out of Dublin and move them to the midlands, primarily Longford, Westmeath and Offaly. The Minister has set out many eye-watering details of this NDP. It is the largest ever capital investment plan in the history of the State and it will enable the delivery of thousands of new homes, provide more childcare and school places, invest in children's disability services and ensure better healthcare for all. That is the Ireland we want. That is the Ireland we have been gifted and this is why we now have an unprecedented opportunity to deliver. It is expected in the lifetime of this Government that the Minister and his much-respected colleague, the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, will alternate roles.”
“The Minister will forgive me for reminding him of the N4 upgrade, on which he was very proactive in his time in the transport Department. That needs to be finalised. We need to calibrate rural and urban Ireland. We have far too many Government agencies still within the confines of Dublin city. We have staff on low incomes within those Departments struggling to make ends meet. There is a consummate need, and a demand, for a major decentralisation campaign and to move many of these Departments out of Dublin. The midlands was promised a just transition when we fast-tracked decarbonisation and closed our peat generation plants. We have yet to see the benefits of that.”
“The media and, all too often, as a result, wider society are fixated with the President of America, Mr. Trump. The reality, though, is that he will leave office in 2028. We need to work on and retain our unrivalled relationship with the US. We have been consummate diplomats over the years and never were these qualities more in need. There will not be a flow of FDI companies from Ireland; rather, we are likely to see more because we have what the US and eastern European nations do not have, that is, a young, skilled, highly-educated and adept workforce. One does not build that workforce overnight. For us, it was a result of generational investment and leadership, in large part from Micheál Martin in his time as Minister for education. The detail of the €276 billion NDP will be critical. Missing links of infrastructure need to be delivered.”
“This is an unprecedented opportunity for this country. If we were to listen to many of the Opposition Members in these Houses, and I do not see too many of them here this afternoon, they are almost Trump-like in their analysis when it comes to describing Ireland, yet this is one of the most successful advanced economies in Europe, one that has flourished in just over 100 years of independence. It is one that has triumphed in a post-Covid era, found the positives in the aftermath of Brexit, and met the challenges of war in Ukraine and an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis with resolve and commendable leadership. This was thanks in large part to the efforts, vision and foresight of leaders such as Micheál Martin, Michael McGrath and the Minister, Deputy Chambers.”
“He is in no doubt as to the passion and commitment of many of our teams across our Civil Service. I think he has a critical role now, along with the Taoiseach, in delivering a new and energised level of leadership across our State. There is no doubt that we need to be prudent and we certainly need to meet our budgets. Now more than ever, though, against the backdrop of that €276 billion, we need to be brave and maximise this unprecedented opportunity. We need a wave of enthusiasm and fervent leadership sweeping through all Departments. I am in no doubt that the Minister can personally lead this change, but there is also a huge onus on all his Cabinet colleagues to follow through on his lead. It is incumbent on all Ministers now that we drive change, set challenges and consistently strive to over-deliver.”
“All too often, there is a sense now that nobody wants to make the big decisions, and this is crippling the delivery of services nationwide. It is also important to say, however, that we have many incredibly dedicated and hardworking people across these Government Departments, agencies and local authorities. These are people who have consistently worn the Irish jersey and want the very best for this wonderful country and people. All too often, our leadership in Departments and across local authorities is dented and thwarted by the election cycle and the transition of key officeholders. I regret seeing a wave of conservatism gripping many senior managers when it comes to the delivery of key services. I have seen the Minister engage over recent months with many of these leaders at Department and local authority level.”
“We can reach our climate goals but more importantly, we can build a nation truly for all and one where no sector, community or townland is left behind. I know the Minister shares these sentiments and beliefs and deeply values them. I was pleased to hear him speak of better public services, but I believe all agencies of the State need to be working much harder, more effectively and should be absolutely focused on the challenges of our times, be these housing, infrastructure or climate. There is doubt that the body politic and many Government Departments and agencies were severely damaged by the fallout from the OPW funding calamity last year. I fear too many Government Departments and agencies are now gripped by paralysis now when it comes to making hard decisions.”
“I thank the Minister for coming in today. Undoubtedly, one of the biggest challenges facing this State is the scaling of our infrastructure. I appreciate we have record levels of capital investment, but it is only reasonable and fair to say the national development plan 2025 to 2035 will be a defining one against the backdrop of rising population and bullish economic growth. It is vital we meet these challenges in the areas of transport, water and energy head on. It is just under €276 billion of capital investment. With this funding, we have the chance and opportunity to build a nation fit for purpose and fit for the future. It is an investment that can and should set us apart as leaders among our European neighbours.”
“I remind Senators that the only matters that may be discussed are the subject matters of each grouping of amendments made by the Dáil. There will be three groupings. Group 1 is amendments to ministerial titles and this is the subject matter of amendments Nos. 1, 3 and 4.”
“This is a Seanad Bill that has been amended by the Dáil. In accordance with Standing Order 159, it is deemed to have passed its First, Second and Third Stages in the Seanad and is placed on the Order Paper for Report Stage. On the question "That the Bill be received for final consideration", the Minister may explain the purpose of the amendments made by the Dáil. This is looked upon as the report of the Dáil amendments to the Seanad. The only matters, therefore, which may be discussed are the amendments made by the Dáil. For Senators' convenience, I have arranged for the printing and circulation of the amendments. The Minister will deal separately with the subject matter of each related group of amendments. I have also circulated the proposed groupings in the House. Senators may contribute once on each grouping.”
“Arguably the most successful female jockey of all time, who recently retired, is an Irish jockey. We cannot undersell the value of that investment by the Government in horse racing. If the Chair will bear with me, I will make one final point. In the aftermath of Storm Éowyn the Minister of State wrote to sports partnerships asking for a briefing on clubs that were affected by storm damage. Five clubs across Longford – Ballyboro FC, Real Clondra FC, St. Brigid's GAA, the rugby club in Longford and Abbeylara Handball Club were all damaged, with the costs varying between €1,000 and €5,000. The most significant damage was to Longford Town soccer club, where a perimeter wall was knocked down, which will cost €100,000 to replace. Could the Minister of State have a look at that and see if he can provide any assistance to Longford Town FC?”
“This House was set up on the founding principle that it was to unite a country that was deeply divided in the aftermath of the War of Independence and the subsequent Civil War. I would like the Cathaoirleach and this House, and the Ceann Comhairle, reach out to the North Down Cricket Club and invite it and several of the other clubs that were due to take part in that event to Leinster House. We must show solidarity with that community. It is very important as a society that they know they have friends. We are all about sport. We love sport here. Horse racing was referenced by a couple of speakers. We cannot underestimate the value of horse racing. In sporting terms, we are very much the All Blacks of horse racing. We have the best jockeys in the world, both male and female.”
“Like many others in the House I was deeply saddened to hear the news about the North Down Cricket Club. It was planning to have an inclusive week-long camp involving youngsters from the local GAA club. It was horrific news to wake up to and it shows how far we have to come as a country and society. Nobody in this House does not embrace the concept of a united Ireland, and we value it dearly, but if we are serious about it, it is important that we are able to reach out to the unionist and loyalist communities and to bring them on a journey with us. The last thing we want in this country is a vitriolic campaign for unity. We want both sides of the divide to come together for it. I note the first Speaker in this House was Lord Glenavy, who was very much of the unionist tradition.”
“We have a significant issue with soccer clubs in terms of trying to access investment. GAA clubs own their own grounds and it is easy for them to apply for sports capital funding but most soccer clubs do not own their facilities and, where they do, it is the exception rather than the norm. In the lifetime of the previous Government it was mooted that we were looking at a parks and playing fields initiative that would address the issue, whereby local authorities and sports clubs could come together on communal grounds and possibly a number of clubs could share grounds. For example, in the case of Longford town, we could bring three or four of the closest soccer clubs together and develop a bespoke playing area for them with three to four pitches. That would be an obvious solution for them.”
“I wish to try to cover a few issues. One of the things we can come back to at the close is when the Minister of State expects to issue a new call for the sports facility fund and also the large-scale sports infrastructure fund. I have listened with interest to all of the speakers. During the lifetime of the previous Government we saw unprecedented investment in sport in terms of the sports facility fund. At the end of last year almost €250 million was invested in sport. Critical to that was incubating a culture of equality across all sporting organisations. I see it in my own local GAA club, which is fully set up to cater for female and male participants alike. I can see it being replicated to a lesser extent in soccer clubs, as there are challenges for them. It is important to acknowledge that such work is under way.”
“I ask that we contact the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht as a matter of urgency to ensure this is resolved for staff in this critical infrastructure who work to develop our communities nationwide.”
“The issue is that the co-ordinators in the PPNs are dealing with local authority staff and people running community safety partnerships, people who are technically on the same level as themselves. Where this falls down is that PPN co-ordinators are paid through the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, while those other staff members are paid through the Department of housing. Last year, a payment of €14,500 was given to PPNs for this year. The Department indicated that this could be used to address the grading issue, moving co-ordinators from grade 5 to grade 7. Unfortunately, several of the local authorities said this would not be possible because staff were still employed by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht rather than by local government.”
“I have come from the committee on social protection, community development and rural affairs. We heard a prebudget submission from the public participation networks, PPN. The representative from Kildare PPN and Siobhan Cronogue from Longford PPN spoke eloquently about the phenomenal work they have done to support integration and community groups throughout the country. However, they also addressed an outstanding issue on the pay of the PPN co-ordinators. We thought we had made progress on this in the lifetime of the previous Government but, unfortunately, it remains a sticking point. At present, only five PPNs are classified as companies limited by guarantee and are on the proper rate, and five others are managed externally.”
“The message I am trying to deliver is that until people working in local authorities and particularly people in positions of influence, such as enforcement and planning, come to realise that there is indeed a housing crisis and that it affects them and their families, we will never resolve it. I appreciate what the Minister of State and the senior Minister are doing. We need to engage every lever in an effort to try to sort this housing crisis. This Bill is very much part of that process. The staff and officials of local authorities are key players in this and they are not engaging with the sincerity and conviction they need to engage with if we are serious about dealing with this issue.”
“They have been held up repeatedly, primarily by the enforcement team in Dublin City Council, which seems to have a free rein over how that council operates to the detriment of everybody, but most importantly to the detriment of the people Senator Boyhan spoke so eloquently about, the people in the teeth of a housing crisis at the moment. In the middle of last year, it was recommended that the issue would go to mediation and the eminent former Chief Justice Frank Clarke presided over that mediation. It came to a point where he suggested a lawyers-only meeting to try to reach a compromise and ultimate agreement in this case. Dublin City Council took that as its opportunity to exit the mediation process and unfortunately it still goes on.”
“Regarding the tone of some of the amendments from the other side, there is very much an argument that developers are at fault. The tone is very much use it or lose it. Senator Boyhan mentioned the midlands. As a rural TD, I find that one of the biggest laggards in the housing crisis are the local authorities here in Dublin. I have followed one case, as I know the Minister of State has as an avid reader of the Business Post . It is a scheme of 103 apartments on the Old Naas Road, which were completed in 2019. They are still empty, albeit fully furnished, and the developer was prepared and ready to release them onto the rental market.”
“It is not directly related to the Bill but I take issue with a comment by the previous speaker. He said he does not agree with everything he reads in the printed media. It was a disappointing comment, given the veracity of the printed media, particularly in Ireland, is second to none. It operates within the confines of draconian defamation laws and at the same time, we have the Wild West of social media. It is a sector that is under immense pressure through job cuts and job losses. They say we are the last generation of people who will buy newspapers. It is a sector that has served this country incredibly well since the foundation of the State. The Senator phrased it incorrectly or wrongly but it was a disappointing comment.”
“However, it behoves us to write to the Minister for housing because it is his remit and to impress upon him the need that these by-laws are not signed off until the housing committee, and indeed, this House and the Dáil have had an opportunity to revisit them. They are contentious and take away an inalienable right we had even before we were under British rule. For 6,000 years, we have had the right to navigate the River Shannon freely and unrestrictedly. Any change to that will not be tolerated by boat owners, and nor should it be tolerated by Irish society in general. I ask the House to write to the Minister as a matter of urgency on this important matter.”
“I raise an important issue. For the past 6,000 years we have enjoyed free and unrestricted access to boating on the River Shannon. Last year, Waterways Ireland attempted to bring in new by-laws, which went largely unnoticed by the boating community before they came before the housing committee last year. As well as attempting to impose a charge on the use of the River Shannon for boating people and their families, there was also contentious consequences for members of the canal and barge living community in Dublin city. I have endeavoured to get the issue listed on the agenda of the housing committee and I understand it will be taken early in the new term.”
“It is very easy to roll out target figures and say what we are going to achieve and for the Minister to say all the levers will be activated but creativity is required. The Minister needs to challenge his Department and move beyond the bounds of what was done before. If officials in Departments did not do something last year, they will not do it this year because they do not like to do things differently. There needs to be a realisation within the Department of housing that we are in a housing crisis. I genuinely feel it is the only Department that does not realise we have a housing crisis.”
“In many cases, it is not regular plumbers but engineers and very skilled people who are needed to develop those projects. These people are simply not out there. Likewise, bricklayers and others with skills are not available. When Lough Ree power station in Lanesborough, which has since closed as we escalated decarbonisation, was built, a firm was brought in from Turkey to complete the project. At the time, 600 workers were brought in, although we had plenty of workers in Ireland at that stage. I do not know why they were brought in then. We have to be creative. The Government needs to go out and identify companies abroad, be it in Turkey or on the margins of eastern Europe, and if they have the skill set we need, we should bring those workers in and allow our building contractors to access them.”
“Many Irish companies now produce them, including Butler Manufacturing Services in Longford, which sends them around the world. It is exporting to over 50 countries and is a market leader in this area. The technology is there to do this. As the Minister said, we need to look at modern production methods. This is an easy fix for us. Labour issues are huge for builders at the moment. The houses built during the Celtic tiger period would not be built now because standards are so high, and rightly so. We had the apartment defects and mica, which came at a huge cost to the Irish people and the Government. We need to ensure the houses we build now are state of the art, and certainly to a B energy rating if not to an A standard.”
“What we need is a circular from the Department of housing to all local authorities giving an undertaking that they can give permission for developments provided the developer provides an interim, developer-led sewage system and also provides a bond that will cover the costs of any remedial works on that. That is one of the quickest ways to leverage a start in house-building because, with the best will in the world, Uisce Éireann is never going to catch up. It will be a laggard at the end of this Government and it will be a laggard in the next Government. Unless there is a fundamental and ideological change within Uisce Éireann, it is not going to catch up. That is another easy, quick win the Department can achieve. The technology for sewerage systems has evolved.”
“We spent the five years of the previous Government looking for a breakthrough on a sewerage scheme for Ballymahon. In recent weeks, Uisce Éireann has published notice of CPO that will move that project forward. The difficulty with Uisce Éireann's position on the delivery of infrastructure and the frustration for local authorities is that we have a stand-off. If a developer wants to build 20 houses in a rural town or village, they will apply to the local authority. The local authority will refuse to give permission on the basis that there is not sufficient capacity because there is no sewerage system. That is fine and technically the correct position.”
“When the crash came in 2008, there were 2,500 empty houses in County Longford, most of which were section 23 properties. Every one of those houses is now full. They were the only housing stock we had available to us in the county in the past 20 odd years because there was no building after the crash. We need to bite the bullet on this, and we need to incentivise small-scale investors, much like mom-and pop-people, to go back into the market again and to engage in a different variation of section 23. That is very important. Infrastructure is a huge challenge for us. Uisce Éireann, much like with the Department of housing, has very much been a laggard in this regard and it has frustrated local authorities. A case in point in rural Ireland is the delivery of upgraded and new sewerage schemes.”
“It has been cumbersome and slow to get anything through. Local authorities tell us that, on occasion, it is taking them two and a half years to get approval for even a scheme of 12 houses. That is simply not good enough. It is indicative of the frustration that local authorities have felt. It is very easy to do a league table of local authorities but if we drill into it, we invariably find that the source of the hold-ups and what has frustrated them is, in fact, the Department and that must be resolved. Many in the House would not like to say it, but we need to look at incentivising people to go back into the property market. When we had the crash, we lamented section 23, but if we look across many counties now, we are damn glad we had section 23. If it was not for it, the housing crisis would be significantly worse.”
“Nobody had a bigger role to play in the current crisis than the officials in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I accept that we have made changes and that the local authority process now only involves one phase to activate a capital project. I do not think that is going to happen. It sounds very good but I still have reservations about the commitment of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to deliver what is needed to try to resolve the existing issues. As much as the Minister is going to challenge local authorities – sometimes I feel they are an easy target – he must also challenge staff in his Department. Everyone here would attest to the fact that one of the biggest impediments to resolving the housing crisis has been the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage itself.”
“When the houses are built, they will be the first commercial development of three-bed semi-detached houses in the county in 19 years. That tells its own story: there has been a lethargy in the Department and it has not grasped the seriousness of the situation. Everybody, across the floor in this House, is all too aware of the housing challenges. Invariably, 90% of the calls we get every day are about housing: people on the verge of homelessness and people who are frustrated at trying to get onto the local authority housing list. We cannot but empathise with them. When the Minister speaks about challenging local authorities, the biggest challenge for him and for the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, is to challenge the Department itself.”
“It is very much the case that someone in the planning department is taking an almost tsar-like approach to it. It makes one wonder sometimes if the people in the Custom House and the confines of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and in other satellite offices realise there is a housing crisis. They certainly seem immune to it given the way they are frustrating developers and, more importantly, communities, nationwide. Rural local authorities could certainly up their game. A case in point is affordable housing in Longford. We finally have a first affordable housing scheme in Longford. It took the lifetime of the previous Government, five years, to get a commitment from the Department to eventually allow Longford County Council to go ahead with the first 25 affordable houses in the county.”
“From what we have heard from the Minister in recent weeks, he is challenging local authorities to up their game. He is going to introduce a league table. This would be a bone of contention for many rural local authorities in that they were always very much at the coalface when it came to delivering houses. The biggest bone of contention is with the performance of the Dublin local authorities, particularly Dublin City Council, which has been lethargic. Its actions in trying to mobilise housing have been unforgivable. Several apartment blocks within the confines of the Dublin City Council area have been fitted out and are ready to be furnished but the council is holding them up because it insists that they do not conform with building regulations. Despite numerous mediation meetings, we still do not have a resolution.”
“The Minister, Deputy Browne, has rightly said that everything humanly possible will be done. This is an important piece of infrastructure around which many of the levers will be activated. It is good to see the move to An Coimisiún Pleanála. That is significant. It has been a bone of contention for many people in this Chamber and among the general public for many years. What the public want to see is the commitment to more staff happening quickly and that the Minister and the Ministers of State in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage will stay in constant contact with it. We need to see radical and sweeping change from An Bord Pleanála and manpower will be needed to do that. We need to see that happen quickly.”
“I welcome the Minister of State to the House. It is probably not his first time in here but I have been off for some months so it is my first time to see him here. I congratulate him on his role. It is great to see him getting to grips with it so quickly. If the weather was not so good I would have come out in a cold sweat when I saw the Bill on the schedule for today because, like Senator Boyhan, I spent 122 hours in committee trying to get this Bill to where it is at. I see some of the beleaguered officials are still here and still toying with the Bill. If memory serves me right, it was the second largest Bill in the history of the State, so it is a significant piece of legislation and very much in line with the fact that we must mobilise every lever as we try to tackle the current crisis in housing.”
“That is to be welcomed and everybody is entitled to have a place to speak but it is very much a Wild West scenario at this stage. This is a significant Bill and it has an awful lot of positives. That is what I would say to retailers, based on the conversations I have had with the Minister who has given a very eloquent insight into the Bill. I know he said he has to leave but I hope he will have time to address the specific concerns raised with regard to retail. From my conversations, I am reassured the Bill will address many of those concerns.”
“I think this is a significant step forward and a response to serious concerns expressed by retailers and the hospitality sector, in particular, as well as many small businesses in related fields as regards the increase in unfounded claims of defamation increasingly made against them. We obviously appreciate how hard it is for the retail sector. It is very challenging, whether people are working in the retail sector or are employers. I recently saw online a case in County Longford where a security guard accosted someone shoplifting. Not only had he to deal with the trauma of that situation but he also had to deal with the trauma of someone recording what he was doing, posting it online and then all the vexatious comments berating him for doing his job. The problem with social media is that everyone is a citizen journalist.”
“I welcome these changes, especially those that will allow us to now go to the Circuit Court to get the identification of anybody who posts anonymously online in a derogatory or defaming fashion. We heard many contributions about the retail sector. As the proud son of a former shop owner, I still have a small retail hat on me, although I am glad I am not in the business of shops anymore. I would have an element of sympathy for what ISME is saying. From my engagement with the Minister, however, I do not feel the association fully comprehends the changes the legislation will make. This is an all-encompassing Bill. I think it has got a significant degree down the road in terms of where we need to go. We now have a provision in section 8 for a new statutory defence in so-called retail defamation cases.”
“This is a positive step forward in what heretofore has been an extremely challenging scenario for us as a society. In particular, I welcome the changes in the legislation on online defamation. Unfortunately, these are probably coming 20 years too late. As Senator McDowell said, we have seen a terrible deterioration in and coarsening of society generally. It is particularly prevalent, I fear, among younger people who have grown up in a silo of social media and feel it is okay to say what you like on social media, that everybody is an editor on social media and that social media do not have the same constraints as the printed press or broadcasting media.”
“I thank Senator Dee Ryan for taking the Chair to facilitate me contributing. Obviously, I welcome the Bill. As I was sitting in the Chair, I was thinking that if this was 70 or 80 years ago, we would just have been thinking about newspapers. It shows how we have evolved as a society when defamation covers so many aspects of our lives now. I am not quite sure whether this is a good or a bad thing. I will address a few of the points made, one of which concerns the juries. As a former press man, I would obviously welcome the removal of juries. Many people have suggested the possibility of a hybrid model. We have an eminent Judiciary and exemplary judges, and I would be more than happy that judges can stand over their decisions and defend them.”
“Before the next speaker, cuirim fáilte roimh na daltaí agus múinteoirí ó Choláiste Muire Tuar Mhic Éadaigh i gContae Mhaigh Eo atá in éineacht leis an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Alan Dillon. I welcome the students and teachers from Tourmakeady in the Gaeltacht region in County Mayo. I will go to Senator Blaney. He can blind them with Gaeilge.”
“I do not undersell or understate the matter when I say that this is the defining challenge of our times. How we how we treat people with disabilities and those who need special education will set us apart as a society.”
“This is putting additional and major pressure on Longford, Sligo and the adjoining counties because people from Leitrim have no option but to try to access services in those counties. I do not expect the Minister of State to have this in place by this September but I would be happy with September 2026, if the Minister of State wants to make a mental note of that. Certainly, if we had provision in Leitrim to deliver that service it would ease the bottlenecks, particularly in terms of those five additional places in St. Christopher's this year. I thank the Minister of State for coming in and wish him well in his role. I have great hopes and expectations and I know that he will bring the passion that has defined his political career to date to this area.”
“It was one of the new special education schools delivered in the lifetime of the previous Government. In terms of its current autism classes, I know of one young boy, born in 2012, who is third on the waiting list for a place in September and for a younger autism class, there is another young boy who is one of two on the waiting list. Realistically, if these guys get a recommendation from the NCSE that they need a place in a special education setting, we cannot turn around and place them back in an autism class in a regular school. They need the additional supports that they will get at St. Christopher's. My final point is one I have mentioned to the Minister of State many times and one that St. Christopher's in Longford has made to me many times, which is the absence of a special school in County Leitrim.”