The Minister doth protest too much.

Should they pay it back?

Should the Ministers pay the money back?

Last January, Storm Éowyn exposed serious weaknesses in how the State protected older people and sustained rural communities. In many rural areas, the loss of power and connectivity carried consequences far beyond inconvenience and unpleasantness. For elderly people living alone, often at a distance from family and neighbours, pendant alarms and home-monitoring systems are a vital safety net. Those systems exist precisely because Government cuts and neglect mean Garda and ambulance response times are too long and t…

To follow on from what Deputy Byrne said, it is not good enough for the Government just to acknowledge the challenge and engage with industry on this. That is helpful, but it does not change the reality on the ground. Older people were left without monitoring during Storm Éowyn and will be again when future storms that are bound to come cause similar levels of destruction. The same vulnerabilities remain in place and that is what needs to be tackled. Copper-based alarm systems are still widely used, fragile and uns…

Keep saying it; you might believe it.

The AGRIFISH meeting in December last year at which quotas were set for this year for the entire European fishing fleet was the deepest and most severe shock that the Irish fishing industry has ever faced. The industry is on its knees, it is on the ropes and its demise is imminent unless there is action take. On 3 December, the Taoiseach met with Irish fishing industry representatives. On 11 December, the Taoiseach met with the Working Group of Committee Cathaoirligh at which I implored him to give his political su…

The Taoiseach allowed the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, to go into those negotiations without any political support from him as Head of Government. It is not good enough. The Irish fishing industry and coastal communities have suffered because of the Taoiseach's failure to take political action.

You were out in Israel pointing at ceilings.

As have you.

There was not equitable distribution of stock for the Irish fishing fleet.

The Taoiseach is ignoring the truth.

The latest South East Economic Monitor shows that while the south-east region has 9% of the country’s population, it has 4% of national GDP, 5% of IDA-supported jobs and just 1.8% of ongoing major public capital spending. Several times on Taoiseach’s Questions and Questions on Policy or Legislation, I have raised the lack of inward investment into Waterford and the south east, particularly in terms of transport with the Taoiseach. The economy of the south east is flatlining. There is neglect by the IDA and the Gove…

There were a couple of questions unanswered.

Sinn Féin has been clear and consistent for years in opposing the EU–Mercosur trade deal. It is bad for Irish agriculture. Farmers, exporters and rural communities are telling us that. It is also bad for food standards. Every expert is telling us that and the evidence that has already been mentioned indicates it. It is bad for rural communities. Is mar Thadhg an dá thaobh atá an Rialtas, atá ag cur an dallamullóg ar mhuintir na hÉireann agus ar an bpobal tuaithe. For years, farmers have warned the Government of the…

-----and that is telling. The Minister of State can try to dress it up how he wants but they are not here for this debate.

Now, on the eve of ratification-----

I did not interrupt the Minister of State and I will not interrupt him when he speaks later.

On the eve of ratification, the Government has performed a dramatic U-turn, knowing there will be no cost to doing so for a domestic audience, to try to save face somewhat. It has suddenly claimed to oppose the deal. The members of the Government parties, including Ministers, and Irish Government representatives in Brussels previously spoke in favour of Mercosur. Let us not rewrite the record here. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have been championing this deal for many years, speaking from both sides of their mouths. No…

Caithfidh mé labhairt ar dhá cheist, is iad sin, na cuótaí agus a dtionchar eacnamaíocha cois cósta; agus ceannas, údarás agus cumhacht na hÉireann thar ár bhfarraigí féinig. Tá breis agus 90% dár gcríoch mar Stát suite ar an bhfarraige ach is fíorbheag an smacht atá againn ar na héisc a bhaintear aisti. Thar na blianta, faoi rialacha an Chomhbheartais Iascaigh, tá an ceart sin tógtha uainn de réir a chéile. Tá tíortha eile ag baint tairbhe as uiscí na hÉireann, agus ní tíortha de chuid an Aontais Eorpaigh iad uile…