The long waiting times being experienced by people waiting to see someone in the pain management clinic in the Mater hospital in Dublin are very concerning. I am dealing with quite a number of people currently who are waiting for an appointment. They informed me that it will be about ten or 12 months before they are seen at the Mater hospital. This is impacting on their health, well-being and quality of life. What actions will Government take to intervene and tackle the unacceptably long waiting times that people h…

I welcome the Bill because there is an urgent need for the Government to prioritise the enactment of legislation aimed at setting out a registration framework for providers of home support services. I want to reference in particular those sections of the Bill under which the chief inspector of social services at HIQA will have responsibility for establishing and maintaining a register for home support services operating in Ireland. The Bill will also provide for criminal liability to be assigned for unregistered ho…

The motion this morning from Independent Ireland raises valid concerns about Ireland's water and wastewater infrastructure, reflecting ongoing challenges in a system that has historically suffered from underinvestment and ageing assets. Certainly, it is the case that persistent delays block housing, public health, economy and compliance, as the motion notes. I acknowledge also that the proposed measures that are put forward as solutions are quite positive and would certainly help the situation. Some of them may alr…

I have continually opposed the Mercosur agreement. I should call it a deal because it should not be an agreement. I want to ask who the Government serves. Does it serve its EU masters and try to be the best boys and girls in the class out there or does it serve Irish farmers, who have worked so hard and tirelessly to contribute to our economy? Whose interests does the Government serve? I am so concerned that it is willing to sacrifice a sector that has helped us in the bleakest times and helped keep the lights on w…

Page 67 in the programme for Government makes reference to the Government's commitment to investing in school buildings and certainly that is welcome. However, there are serious issues in my own constituency of County Offaly. We have a fantastic school, St. Brendan's Community School, in Birr which was approved for works back in 2018. Those works entailed an ASD classroom, an extension and other minor works to the school building. Since 2018, there has been absolutely no progress. To the school's frustration, it ha…

My question relates to the ongoing shortage of student accommodation across the country. Every year, the problem gets worse. In my constituency, I am contacted by huge numbers of students who cannot source accommodation in Galway, Dublin or Limerick. Unfortunately, the evidence available to us each September demonstrates that the situation is deteriorating rather than improving. What measures will be taken by the Government to tackle this problem?

I thank the Minister for his response. While I certainly acknowledge that there have been some incentives, supports and improvements, the SUSI grant has unfortunately not been adjusted in line with the cost of living or the costs of student accommodation. We have seen over the past five years how rents in urban centres and many regional towns have risen at rates far exceeding inflation or wage growth. In regard to the strategy, the delivery of purpose-built student accommodation has fallen substantially short of wh…

I acknowledge that there have been some improvements but again, it is just not enough. We need to be, as I said, far more ambitious and deliver more student accommodation. I want to point out that my concerns relate to the fact that when a young person from a rural background concludes that third level education is financially or logistically unfeasible, the loss extends far beyond the individual. Society is deprived of the nurses, engineers, teachers and researchers that we so badly need in Ireland. Therefore, I a…

For many people, the energy price crisis reflects a Government paralysed by inertia that is only now slowly turning away from the madness of the Green Party era when the tail wagged the dog and energy independence in the form of LNG or oil and gas exploration was considered almost a heresy. I acknowledge that things are turning in the right direction and the storage facility will now proceed but the problem is that it will take years. We should be self-sufficient for energy. I have always said that here. Many mista…

I am deeply concerned by certain proposals in the national housing plan. Although it has been described by the Government as unprecedented in terms of investment, it comes at a time when homeless figures have hit a record high of 16,350 people. Within that number is a total of 5,145 children who are estimated to be living in emergency accommodation. The fact is we have been here before on a number of occasions, with plans to finally tackle the systemic barriers to the homeless and the lack of social and affordable …

Tá áthas orm an deis seo a fháil labhairt ar an topaic seo agus ar an méid atá ag baint leis an gcogadh cathartha i Sudan. What is happening in Sudan is hell on earth. Last year, Aid to the Church in Need released its report on Christian persecution around the globe. Sudan is an area plagued by this issue. I will quote extensively from that report as it specifically deals with some of the desperate problems ongoing for those living in Sudan, especially Christians: The civil war that broke out on 15th April 2023 unl…

I commend Deputy Stanley on bringing forward this very important Bill and for all the work that went into it. It is imperative that we get action and that there is real and true balance for communities. Currently there are no protections for any communities throughout my own county of Offaly or the neighbouring County Laois. It is very unfair. Communities have no say whatsoever and these monstrosities of structures are imposed on them. As I will be discussing, there are serious health concerns and effects from the …

As the Tánaiste will be aware, the midlands and County Offaly, in particular, are the areas most impacted by the just transition. The loss of Bord na Móna created a significant ripple effect in communities right across the county. Most recently, we have been hit hard again with the planned closures of Cardinal Health followed by Fastway Couriers in Portarlington only a few short weeks ago. There is an air of major uncertainty in terms of our economic development and jobs into the future and many constituents and, i…

I thank the Tánaiste for his response and, indeed, his commitment to look further at this. I believe we need to look at it urgently because, as I said, of the unexpected job losses that we have suffered in the county - on top of bearing the brunt of the job losses in the midlands - County Offaly bears that brunt. We need to act, urgently and swiftly, and we need to support the local community groups that are trying to put in applications. It has been conveyed to me on many occasions that there are challenges in pro…

I am delighted to speak on these statements. I spoke on the haulage sector and its challenges recently at its conference in Galway. I am delighted to speak again in the Chamber to relay the difficulties and issues presented to me at that conference in September. The haulage sector contributes €3.7 billion per annum to our economy. It creates thousands of jobs in rural Ireland where there are virtually no opportunities for people. It must be protected. When we look at things like the toll increases, it appears to be…

Whatever way you slice it, this Mercosur madness is a disastrous deal for Ireland and I remain strongly opposed to it. If it is pushed through and ratified by a qualified majority, then the EU Commission will have very clearly signalled its contempt not just for the sovereignty of this Parliament but for the livelihoods of the farmers that it will destroy. Far from being our ally and our friend, this Commission has demonstrated a willingness to smother our rural economy in its sleep. It simply does not care what th…

Our immigration law explicitly allows for deportation in cases of criminal convictions, particularly in relation to serious or violent convictions. This includes provisions such as those outlined in the Immigration Act 1999, as amended. Section 3 states that the Minister for justice may sign a deportation order against a person who has served or is serving a term of imprisonment imposed by an Irish court. Additional considerations when deciding on a deportation order include factors such as a person's criminal conv…

Is it not high time that we stopped catering to their so-called rights-----

-----and instead began to radically and forcefully implement the laws that we have on our Statute Book?

I very much welcome this Bill, given the urgent need to take active steps towards financing and upgrading our creaking energy grid. If that requires amending an outdated series of rules around ESB borrowing, we should get on and do exactly that. Clearly there is a need here, if the existing laws and limits go back to the 1950s or the 2000s. The Bill deals with the current ESB fund of €13.4 billion for the PR6 investment programme and the construction of the North-South interconnector, which is a critical piece of i…