The Department of Education is placing many schools in a very difficult position of having to choose whether to fund caretaking services or secretarial services. I have been contacted by a number of schools in my constituency. They have expressed concern and were shocked over the fact the ancillary services grant would not cover the caretaking costs for this year. The CPSMA has carried out a survey which clearly showed that at least seven out of ten schools ran at a deficit in funding at least once during the year.…

The recent announcement on ash dieback finally recognised that landowners deserved to be compensated for losses outside their control. However, a number of flaws have been identified in the scheme by Limerick and Tipperary Woodland Owners. Clearance grants are capped at €2,000 per hectare but quotes for clearance are running at €6,500 per hectare and farmers will have to borrow money to clear the land. Compensation of €5,000 per hectare does not compare with the typical losses of €40,000 per hectare according to in…

I want to bring forward this issue today about Charleville National School. It really is an emergency situation. Accommodation has been approved for two modular units, which will consist of a special education room, a classroom and a special tuition room. I say it is an emergency situation because the school will not be able to open in September if the modular accommodation is not in place. The school will have 12 pupils with autism attending in September. There is absolutely no room for these children - no sensory…

I thank the Minister of State for that information and indeed the constructive and positive response. Again, I stress that it is absolutely vital that the modular units are delivered on time for September. I welcome the fact that there will be weekly meetings regarding the project to ensure that it is moving and on track. I also welcome the fact that it has entered the delivery phase. That is certainly progress but the clock is ticking. September is not too far away and the school finds itself in a precarious situa…

In the past week, the perception of the EU just transition fund and its capacity to act as a catalyst for economic revival in County Offaly suffered a fatal blow. Of the €18 million available in the latest round, Offaly, the county that without doubt has been hit the hardest and which has borne the brunt of job losses, at 53% of the job losses, got the paltry sum of €500,000 under just transition. As one can imagine, this has been greeted with great disappointment, frustration and anger. Only yesterday, Offaly Coun…

I reiterate that there has been no proper sustainable job creation as a result of what happened. This process will not be seen as just by me and many others in the county until we can actually see jobs being created. Job creation will be highly dependent on the investment that comes in and the fact that we have only received €500,000 out of an €18 million pot is scandalous. It is a national scandal and it has to be looked at. We need this type of money to be able to create jobs. The applications that went in from O…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: - Ireland requires a migration system that is not only well-managed and fair, but also stringent, efficient, and effectively enforced to safeguard our borders and our communities; - the Government imposing large-scale immigration on a local population without consultation is inappropriate, considering the complexity and potential instability of the absorption process, and the necessity of local support for sustainable and successful integration; - Ireland, already at a tipping…

I am happy to speak on this motion. I support the principle, but it is difficult to take lessons from a party that supports the carbon tax. That being said, the Government should consider scrapping its plans to increase the price of petrol and diesel on 1 August and 9 October and reverse the increase that took place on 1 April. Just six weeks ago, I made the same request to the then Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, who insisted that it would not be possible to review or postpone planned hikes prior to the next budget. N…

I commend the Regional Group on bringing this motion forward this morning. I fully support it, particularly its call for the Government to establish a high-level officials group to scope out and develop a roadmap for the delivery of a non-means-tested participation income for family carers. Many of us have repeatedly called for greater levels of support for carers, even while accepting that a significant amount of Government funding is allocated. That being said, I make the comparison with the Government's acceptan…

I am sure the Minister is aware of the correspondence we all received yesterday from the Association of Farm and Forestry Contractors in Ireland, FCI. It outlined that the knock-on impact of the recent weather is that less than one third of the normal spring work has been completed. Against this background, the FCI is requesting that the Minister postpone the planned introduction of the next round of carbon tax increase on agricultural diesel until 1 October, when there will be some cash flow returned to the sector…

Anti-democratic.

The Restaurants Association of Ireland has raised serious concerns about the fact that 212 restaurants have closed. This equates to a loss of €288 million to our economy. The Irish Hairdressers Federation has also expressed serious concern and raised the need for the VAT rate to be reduced to 9% again. This would protect jobs in restaurants in our small towns and villages and in hairdressing salons. We need to do it and I call on the Taoiseach to ensure that in the forthcoming budget the VAT rate will be reduced to…

I wish the Minister of State well in his new role. I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion. I commend the invaluable work done by cancer support service volunteers and staff in counties Laois and Offaly, in my constituency. They are the most dedicated people, and I acknowledge that on the public record. The National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026 recognises cancer support services as a valuable resource to cancer patients and their families outside of the acute care setting, as indeed is the HSE's national canc…

When will the new guidelines on wind turbines be published? There have been draft guidelines since 2019 and nothing has moved since then. There are many communities like mine in County Offaly, where there is a rich heritage bog, Lemanaghan bog, which is rich in monastic heritage and has links to Clonmacnoise. There is a proposal to put a wind farm there which is absolutely ludicrous and against the wishes of many members of the community. Communities feel disillusioned, frustrated and angered that there are no prot…

I acknowledge that today is a very important day for the Taoiseach and for Ministers old and new. I wish them well in their new portfolios and in the future. I also acknowledge the Taoiseach’s role as Minister for higher education and commend him on the work he did on apprenticeships. We might not agree on many issues but I want to acknowledge that the focus he put on apprenticeships and traineeships was very welcome and stood out for me at the education committee. I hope that focus continues because we have a seri…

There are some of us in this Chamber who could rightfully stand up and say "I told you so". I told the Government and the Minister's colleague, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, in the Dáil 22 months ago that we were heading towards a totally unsustainable and chaotic social catastrophe, and here we are. I said it would bring about more human misery than we could possibly deal with as a small country. Did the Government listen? No, it did not. Were those of us who asked for reasonable measures such as impact as…

We have unvetted immigration. The Social Democrats need to cop themselves on. They are the facts. The Deputies might not like them but they are the facts.

The hard left is jumping up and down being reckless, naive and gullible.

I will take no lectures from Deputy Ó Ríordáin, who said in 2014 that there were limits on the numbers of people we could take in.

I will take no lectures from the Deputy or his communist party.