Maria Byrne
Agricultural Panel · Fine Gael · Ireland
“The Minister listed some of the different issues that can now be dealt with there. They are quite common issues which do happen in people's lives on a regular basis. Not having to go to a doctor for a prescription certainly saves people money but also time.”
“I thank the Minister for coming to discuss this really important Bill today. I thank her personally and her Department for all they are doing for women's health since she came into office. The roll-out of this important Bill and the many other prescription services that can now be accessed through the pharmacy are really important.”
“I have received notice from the following Senators that they propose to raise the following matters: Senator Garret Kelleher - The need for the Minister for Health to provide an update on the section 39 core funding and State support being provided to Westgate Foundation, Ballincollig, County Cork.”
“Senator Aubrey McCarthy - The need for the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to make a statement on the timeframe for the transposition of the platform work directive.”
“Senator Alison Comyn - The need for the Minister for Education and Youth to make a statement on the inclusion of philosophy as a leaving certificate subject. Senator Sarah O'Reilly - The need for the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to make a statement on the environmental benefits of the deposit return scheme.”
“On a personal note, I too would like to thank everyone for their collegiality over the last 12 months. I thank Aileen, Martin, the staff in the Seanad Office, the ushers and all the staff in the House from the cleaners up. This House would not function without every member of staff within it. I wish Members a happy break.”
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“I welcome Deputy Devlin and his guests to the Gallery. I support the motion and thank Senator Kyne and all who were involved in putting it together. Many positive suggestions have been made, one or two of which I will mention. An issue that needs to be examined is the difference between private and public nursing homes and the fact there is possibly not enough public provision. As the Minister of State knows, the waiting lists for St. Camillus hospital in Limerick are unbelievable. Unfortunately, there are not enough beds to benefit the number of people who want them. He recently visited the dementia nursing home in Bruff, County Limerick, which I have also visited. That facility is of so much benefit to people who have dementia and it is also a great support to their families.”
“Before we move on, I welcome Senator Joe O'Reilly to our Visitors Gallery. He is accompanied by his wife Mary, his sister Caroline and his son Alexis. I hope they will all enjoy their visit to Leinster House and the Seanad. They are very welcome.”
“I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kieran O'Donnell, my colleague from Limerick, to the Chamber. The Minister of State is no stranger to the Chamber. He has been here quite a bit recently and is a former Member of the House.”
“We are running short on time, and we still have a lot of speakers. Will people be as brief as they can? We will move to the cross-party group and Senators Harmon, Stephenson, Cosgrove and Noonan. The Senators will have two and a half minutes each. Is that agreed? Agreed.”
“When somebody is given a terminal diagnosis, he or she should automatically qualify for a medical card while having treatment because of the stress and strain it puts not only on the patient, but on the patient's family, in applying, being refused and having to appeal it. Those are some issues on this International Women's Day.”
“Quite a high percentage of women end up with perinatal health issues but it is about going to meet the clinician, having that conversation and receiving that support. The last time I was at the maternity hospital in Limerick, there was a small box room and the waiting room was outside for every other area so everybody could see you in the room. It deserves more support and space. I was delighted to hear the Minister mention endometriosis. The area of cardiovascular health is very close to my heart. It is important to encourage people to get checked and keep checking. People do not realise until it happens to them. On the cancer strategy, the work happening and the treatment people are receiving are fantastic but there is an issue relating to medical cards.”
“CervicalCheck runs out between 60 and 65 years of age and BreastCheck between 60 and 69 years of age. These are preventatives. I would like the Minister to look at extending it. The Minister referred to maternity issues in her speech. I wish to raise the maternity hospital in University Hospital Limerick. I believe the site was selected on the grounds of UHL about 15 years ago. There has been loads of talk of it moving but the conditions affect not only the staff, but also patients who avail of the hospital. It is on a very small site. There are many restrictions around visiting and supports for people attending it. Will the Minister look at this issue? There is also the area of perinatal health.”
“I thank the Minister for coming to discuss this all-important issue of women's health to mark International Women's Day. There is nobody more committed than the Minister to resolving so many issues. I would like to raise a few issues with her. She referred to a few of them in her opening remarks. I campaigned on one of them during the previous Dáil and Seanad, which was the free HRT campaign. It was to be introduced in January but it has not happened to date. I know there was a shortage and there also have to be negotiations with pharmacies and the pharmacy union. From speaking to the pharmacy union, it is looking for engagement. Many women would benefit from the scheme once introduced. I am aware of the Government's commitment to its introduction. I would also like to raise CervicalCheck and BreastCheck.”
“I thank the Minister of State. While I understand we are trying to phase out fossil fuels and there are grants for repairs and so on, it is difficult to explain to an older person that he or she has to make changes. In many cases, it is also an extra cost because people have to make adjustments to their existing systems or bring in a new system. For existing householders, including older people, perhaps fossil fuels could be phased out rather than removed completely. I would like the Minister of State to take this suggestion back to the Minister and have a discussion about it. It is causing a lot of hardship for older people. Some of them do not have the funds to make those extra adjustments.”
“While people buying new houses understand it, people who have been living in the same house for the past 40 or 50 years or more do not understand it. This needs to be reversed and boilers need to be included in the scheme because there is so much stress and strain. I have heard of ten cases in the past four weeks with regard to the same issue. It is quite a high percentage in such a short time. I look forward to hearing the response of the Minister of State.”
“I thank the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, for coming to the House to discuss this all-important matter. In recent weeks I have heard from a lot of older people who had heard of others of their own age applying for, and availing of, a boiler grant through the housing adaptation grants for older people and disabled people. Boilers have been removed from these grants and it is causing a lot of stress for older people, especially because boilers are quite costly. They can cost anything from €3,000 to €8,000. The main issue is that while the Government is trying to encourage everyone towards installing heat pumps and renovating their homes, many people of a certain age will never carry out some of these works or would find it prohibitive to carry them out. It is quite costly to change a heating system and install a heat pump.”
“Before we move on with the Order of Business, I welcome Steve and Adam Elsworth, friends of former Senator Paddy Burke. They are visiting Dublin for the first time. You are very welcome and are in the capable hands of Senator Ahearn. Enjoy your visit to Leinster House. Thank you. I call the leader of the Fianna Fáil group, Senator Fitzpatrick.”
“I am delighted to take this opportunity to congratulate Bulgaria and its people on their national day, which takes place this Monday, 3 March, marking their liberation day. I also welcome Ambassador Vanya Andreeva-Malakova to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery. Many Senators met the ambassador on their way in this morning. Ambassador, you are very welcome. I hope you enjoy your national day of celebration. Thank you very much indeed.”
“It is a great honour to welcome my good friend and colleague, Deputy Buttimer, who is not a stranger to this House. He had a long and distinguished career here. He is very welcome this morning. I thank him for coming.”
“I welcome the fact the Government is committed to continuing the tenant in situ programme but a number of people have to be out of their home in mid-March. At the moment, the local authority is telling them it does not know if it can purchase it because it does not have the funding. If the Minister of State can bring back one key message, it is that the Department needs to decide as quickly as possible how much money it will give to each local authority. There is a huge fear factor out there. I spoke to one lady who has been 26 years in the same house. They have been given the notice and they are so upset. They are in their 60s. They are saying they cannot get a mortgage and asking where they will find somewhere to rent. It is an important issue. If the Minister of State could get that message back, I would appreciate it.”
“Many apartments are sale agreed but the money has not been approved or the local authority has not received notification of the amount of money it will get. I am looking for an update on it.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming to answer my question. I know he is not directly involved in the Department so I thank him for taking it on behalf of the Department. My question relates to the tenant in situ scheme and the continuation of this worthwhile programme. It has worked in many cases; however, I sat in two houses during the week in which people had received notification that they had to go because the landlord was selling the property. I have also sat in houses in which the landlord was successful, the local authority bought it and people had stability in terms of their tenure and home conditions. Many local authorities are waiting to hear on the sign-off of the scheme, waiting to hear whether the scheme is continuing and waiting for funding.”
“On a daily basis, a number of issues are brought to us whereby people have been subject to criminality or have witnessed things going on in their community that make them very afraid. People have the right not only to feel safe in the city centre and in whatever business they enter but also in their own home and locality. We must go back to having more community gardaí on the street. I remember a time in Ballinacurra Weston, which is the area in which I am involved, when gardaí used to be out playing soccer with local youths on the green. That created a relationship between the youths and the gardaí. We need to look at ways of incentivising initiatives to create a relationship between youths and the Garda. It does not matter where people are from; anybody could end up being targeted or brought into a gang.”
“When a business owner rings the Garda station because somebody has attempted to rob the premises or has robbed it, or people contact gardaí because they have witnessed a drug deal going on in the street, there is sometimes no garda to respond to those calls. While consideration is being given to the provision of an extra Garda station for Limerick in Castletroy, we need to increase Garda numbers to support the existing structure as well as the new structure that is to come on stream. There have been many successful programmes such as the youth diversion programme. I am chairperson of a community centre in one of the most socioeconomically deprived areas in Limerick.”
“I welcome the increase in the number of Garda recruits going to Templemore and the number of gardaí coming out the other end. However, it is about retention and making sure gardaí stay in their jobs. Location was raised by a previous speaker. Sometimes, people want to move close to their home. We need to look at ways of incentivising gardaí and keeping them on our streets. We must ensure they are able to carry out their job. I pay tribute to the gardaí in Limerick, led by Chief Superintendent Smart, including the various superintendents, inspectors and sergeants. They do an absolutely fantastic job but they are sometimes stretched to the limit between having to go to court, take prisoners on a transfer run or whatever it might be. Sometimes, that means there are not enough gardaí on the street.”
“We need an expansion of the use of cameras and CCTV. The issue of the GDPR has been raised but that is something behind which many places are hiding. Limerick city centre is no different from any other city centre in that there is a lot of on-street begging and large numbers of people going down alleyways to deal or shoot up drugs. Many of the streets off the main street become areas where people congregate to deal drugs, especially if there are alleyways or any set-back areas behind houses. We need more gardaí on our streets to tackle this issue. While the gardaí in Limerick have been very successful in the number of convictions they have secured, we still need more gardaí to support that effort. Reference was made to gardaí retiring.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to discuss this all-important issue. As he is aware, I live in the centre of Limerick city. I have seen a lot of things happening in the city centre over the years. In December 2023, the Department of Justice and the local gardaí in Henry Street set up Operation Táirge, whereby they worked with businesses to combat retail crime. That type of crime has been raised by many people in the Chamber. It was found at the time that pilfering and shoplifting cost retailers €1.62 million each year. People working in businesses need to feel safe from this type of criminality. Much has been done to date, including the launch last year of the use by gardaí of bodycams and new cars with AI technology that can detect a lot of what is going on down the road.”
“The Minister of State, Deputy Collins, is replacing the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan. I now move to Senators Nessa Cosgrove and Patricia Stephenson on behalf of the Cross-Party Group. I understand they are sharing time.”
“We will wait for the Minister. In the meantime, I apologise that I forgot to acknowledge the presence of my party colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, in the Gallery. I thank him for being here for my election. I also thank former Senator, Catherine Noone, for being here today.”
“Not many people are honoured to serve in the position that I have been elected to fill today. I look forward to working with all Members in the future - over the next five years. I also follow in the footsteps of a neighbour of mine - Thomas Westropp Bennett, a former Senator, Leas-Chathaoirleach and Cathaoirleach. His daughter-in-law, Catherine, who is looking in today, is also a neighbour of mine. They were from Limerick. I look forward to serving everybody right across the House. I thank all for the privilege and honour they have bestowed on me today.”
“My job is to make sure that everybody is treated fairly and they all receive the same treatment, and that everybody has the right to express themselves as well. My own family is watching at home online: my mother Helen, my aunt and uncle, my brothers, Stephen and Robert, and also my extended family. I would not be here without their help and support. I am very privileged that I am the third female to serve in the position of Leas-Chathaoirleach. I follow in the footsteps of Evelyn Owens, a Labour Party trade unionist from Dublin who served from 1973 to 1977 and also in the footsteps of Tras Honan, a fellow Munster person from Tipperary who served from 1983 to 1987. She also came from a business background. I served as Mayor of Limerick in 2010. I was the fourth woman to serve in that office in Limerick in 814 years.”
“If she had been successful, she would be a fantastic Leas-Chathaoirleach. I did not come here today and take anything for granted. I have always had that philosophy. One always goes out and looks for votes and support. I acknowledge the father of the House, Senator Wilson. He has always been very encouraging of me. I also acknowledge my proposer, Senator Kyne, the Leader, and my seconder, Senator O'Reilly, a former Leas-Chathaoirleach himself. I thank them for their very kind words. I did not realise it was me they were speaking about when they proposed me. I look forward to working with the Cathaoirleach and with Martin and his team at the top table, all those in the Seanad Office, and the ushers and staff within the House.”
“I thank the Cathaoirleach. If it is okay, I will say a few words of thanks before we move on with the proceedings. I thank the Tánaiste and my colleagues for placing their faith in me. I also thank my colleagues who voted for me here today, as well as those who did not. I have always had a fair work ethic and tried to work with people right across each and every grouping. I give a commitment that my door will always be open. I look forward to working with all Senators in a fair and collegial manner. I thank the Irish Grain and Feed Association, as it was my nominating body. I also thank TDs, councillors and Senators right across the political spectrum who voted for me and got me where I am today. I congratulate Senator Flynn on putting her name forward here today. I call her a friend. We have often had conversations.”
“I do solemnly declare that I will duly and faithfully, and to the best of my knowledge and ability, execute the office of Leas-Chathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann without fear or favour, apply the rules as laid down by this House in an impartial and fair manner, maintain order and uphold the rights and privileges of Members in accordance with the Constitution and the Standing Orders of Seanad Éireann.”
“I will raise an issue that I raised in the previous Seanad, that is, that people who receive a terminal diagnosis should automatically qualify for a medical card. It is something that will receive unanimous support across this House. It is also something that we should have the Minister in to discuss. The HSE previously committed to examining this issue but it has not progressed any further. I have been dealing with a number of families recently in which there was a diagnosis of serious illness, especially cancer, and I am aware of the stress and strain that it puts not only on the patient but also on their family as well due to the over-and-back interaction with the HSE, being refused a medical card and then eventually getting it.”
“It will be a combination of work by the Minister for enterprise on how to support and expand businesses to fill those vacant units, and by the Minister for Justice on how we can create a greater Garda presence on the street. Those are two things on which I would like the Leader's support.”
“I rise first of all to congratulate the Leader. I look forward to working with him over the coming years. Senator Ahearn raised the N24 which certainly has the same impact on Limerick as it has on Tipperary the whole way to Waterford. It is about connectivity and I too support his call to ask the Minister of Transport to come before us. Equally, Senator Fitzpatrick raised the whole issue of people feeling safe in cities. I believe the Minister for Justice but it is also about the number of derelict and vacant buildings and people being on the street. It is about how to deal with the issues on the street such as people coming up to people and looking for things.”
“I believe you will work together collectively as will the other group leaders and the different people who will serve in the different roles. I wish Senator Kyne all the best. I look forward to working with him and colleagues across this House. Many counties have been mentioned here. I am afraid Senator Craughwell would be upset if I did not say that I am from Limerick and the mid-west. There are three Senators here from Limerick today. I look forward to working with them but also with colleagues from the mid-west for the development of the west.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh, agus comhghairdeas leat. A Chathaoirligh, I rise today to wish you congratulations on your election and to congratulate each and every one of the new and returning Senators here today. I also think of the Senators, who have been referred to, who ran and were not re-elected and those who put their names forward. This House has always been proactive in terms of trying to work together on different issues for the greater good. Certainly, under your leadership, a Chathaoirligh, and from having served with you in the past, you will put your best foot forward in terms of representation but also in terms of fairness in this House. I wish you all the best. I also congratulate my colleague, Senator Kyne, on becoming Leader of the House.”