As the Minister of State knows, energy bills are putting huge pressure on workers and families. One in seven households in this State is in arrears on their electricity bills. At the same time, energy companies have been making extraordinary profit from the energy crisis. That is why we in Sinn Féin support a 75% windfall tax on those exceptional profits. Those companies should contribute to dealing with the consequences of the prices. Instead of filling the pockets of their shareholders and executives, the money s…

The Garvaghy Road residents have endured intimidation, violence and murder. They have shown extraordinary resilience and discipline but they should not be expected to endure that again. I was proud over the weekend to stand with residents of Bóthar Gharbhachaidh. Ní glacfaidh an pobal seo riamh arís le bheith caite mar shaoránaigh den dara grád. The community was resolute and clear that they will never again be treated like second-class citizens. They are first-class citizens in a first-class community. They are Ir…

Hear, hear.

Will the Taoiseach intervene urgently to secure access to Gaza for a mobile maternity unit funded by the community in west Waterford through a major fundraising campaign led by Gael ar son Gaza? We know the criminal Israeli regime has targeted medical personnel and medical infrastructure and this has led to there being no maternity facilities in the whole of Gaza. Women are giving birth in the most atrocious conditions and the impact on women - expectant and new mothers - and their babies is immense. It is part of …

Developers.

We are seven months into this particular crisis with the increase in the price of oil and families are dealing with almost a doubling of the cost of home heating oil. I am dealing with families who are deciding whether to restrict spending on other essential parts of life, for example, whether they will cut down on the grocery shop, whether they will do a grocery shop this week, or how they will feed their children, so that they can put oil in the tank because prices have gone from approximately €900 for a fill las…

Every July and August, families steel themselves for the cost of children going back to school, including uniforms, books, and shoes, and, as the Minister of State well knows, school transport. Now, for thousands of parents, there is another bill waiting on the kitchen table. It is one for hundreds of euro for a digital device. The latest research from the University of Limerick and the ESRI confirms what families and schools have been saying for months now that the Government's hands-off approach to digital educat…

Today is a very important day because the State has finally and formally apologised to the survivors of Bill Kenneally's abuse. Those who should have been protected were instead failed in the most profound and devastating way. No apology can undo the harm that was done. I pay tribute to the extraordinary courage of the survivors and their families, whose determination made this day possible. You do not need me to tell you, but today is a day of vindication for those abused by this vile, calculating, predatory paedo…

Transport policy and funding for most transport modes rests with the Department of Transport but I specifically put this question to the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and the Minister, Deputy Calleary, because the onus is on Deputy Calleary's Department to advocate for rural communities with every Government Department to ensure the voices and needs of rural communities are heard and met. That is why I put the question in this context. I will briefly tell the story of Grange in west Waterford. It is a rural c…

A cross-party group raised issues about road safety there and looked for investment.

The Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht needs to engage with local authorities and agencies on funding for these schemes.

That is well and good but the community had a service for many years and it was removed because of a deterioration in road quality due to a lack of investment in road structures. This is on the N25, a road I have mentioned many times to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and to the Department of Transport. Due to the lack of investment - the lack of money available to local authorities to do safety works and put in infrastructure around bus stops - Bus Éireann and Waterford City and County Council had to take a decision…

Hear, hear.

I put this question in English but tá roinnt de a bhaineann le cúrsaí Gaeltachta. Is féidir an dá theanga a úsáid, má tá an tAire sásta leis sin. It is about the role the Minister’s Department will play in amending and finalising the recently published draft national planning statement for rural and Gaeltacht housing. I know this has been discussed several times here this evening and the Minister and I have discussed it as well. This is a document that relates to the core mission of the Minister’s Department so I w…

When the document was published last week, we were all taken aback. Commentators, Opposition politicians and campaign groups and people working in the space were disappointed both on the rural housing piece and that of Gaeltacht housing. Not only was it underwhelming and the cúrsaí Gaeltachta deeply disappointing but it looked like something that had been utterly rushed and that had been put together very quickly without a lot of thought. It has taken very little from the consultation, submissions and recommendatio…

I dtaobh chúrsaí Gaeltachta, ní aontaím leis an Aire in aon chor go bhfuil dearcadh nó aighneachtaí na ndreamanna éagsúla atá ag obair sa spás seo iniata leis an gcáipéis seo. Is léir go ndearna an Roinn agus an bheirt Airí sa Roinn tithíochta neamhaird air sin. Iarrfaidh mé ar an Aire féachaint air seo, gur úsáideadh staitisticí ó dhaonáireamh 2016 sa cháipéis chun an argóint seo a chruthú mar gheall ar líon na gcainteoirí Gaelainne in ionad na staitisticí is déanaí. Molaim don Aire féachaint siar air. Dá mba rud …

Glacaim leis sin.

Tá muid an-ghnóthach, an triúr againn. Leanfaimid ar aghaidh pé scéal é.

This relates to the CLÁR programme in light of the recent expansion of the scheme's eligibility. I really welcome the expansion of the CLÁR scheme. It is something that I think all of us representing rural areas and, indeed, many councillors from all parties and none have been seeking for a long time. It is something about which, as the Minister probably knows, I have put in several written questions over recent weeks. I am talking here about not just an increase in funding to keep pace with inflation but a substan…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as sin. On the ground, in rural areas, particularly those deprived rural areas, we see the advantage of CLÁR. It is relatively small money. There are small amounts that are provided, but that money goes really far in these areas and it is very much appreciated. It is possibly not transformative but it really helps to keep those communities' heads above the water. We have spoken here about the challenges communities are facing in terms of housing and demographics. The last time the thre…