I do not think the Minister can seriously come into this Chamber and say his budgets have delivered for people in poverty. One in five children is living in poverty under the Minister's watch, while 15% of the State's population is living in poverty. The Minister talks about an independent recommendation committee on the pay of CEOs in the top 1%. Where is his independent recommendation committee for people who are working, earning and living in poverty? It does not wash with anybody for the Minister to come into t…

It is not. Children in poverty.

The Minister must know that narrative is what is causing this.

It will come as no surprise to the Minister that I am raising the issue of critical infrastructure in the west. Thankfully, the storm this week did not hit Connemara in the way Storms Éowyn, Bert and Darragh did last year. However, we still have the aftermath and impact of those storms. The Minister knows Connemara well. If he travels around Connemara now, he will see there are still wires on the ground and poles hanging to one side. What is his plan for the west?

I understand what the Minister said about things not being done in an area-specific way but, rather, in terms of Departments. I also know that he is the Minister for infrastructure, and he has an understanding of the west of Ireland. He has links to the west and knows Connemara well from his time as Minister for the Gaeltacht. I know, and I am sure the Minister knows, the serious lack of basic critical infrastructure in Connemara in particular. Safe roads and safe bridges are lacking. We still have the repercussion…

When I look at infrastructure in the west I see it in two veins. There is obviously the serious capital investment needed for those bigger projects. The Minister has outlined some of them. Any investment there is welcome but there are also thee basic things that need to be done immediately. The Minister will remember the snow during Storm Bert, which had serious implications across Connemara. We then had Storm Darragh and when we had Storm Éowyn, Connemara did not have a chance. The impact of those storms on that b…

In relation to the expected commencing of the construction of school buildings, I am aware the Minister of State recently visited Lakeview School, which is an important school on the east side of Galway city. As he will know, unfortunately, it is only able to place five students for the 2026-2027 school year. There is a waiting list of 11 children who cannot be accommodated due to space constraints. The school has the physical space but what it needs is complete refurbishment, which will allow more children to be a…

We are entitled to ask questions.

Having listened to what the Minister of State said here today, it seems quite clear to me that there is no will from Government to change this. The reality is that this is affecting real people's lives as it does day and day out and as it does today while people are waiting to have procedures and consultations. We are talking about people waiting in the emergency department in Galway University Hospital for the care they so desperately need. It also affects those people who want to provide that care. If we take Gal…

We may need to suspend for five minutes while we get clarity because a new amendment would be required and we do not currently have one in front of us.

The current amendment provides for 12 months. We will suspend briefly to get clarity and make sure the procedure is correct.

Is it agreed, by leave of the House, to amend the Government's amendment to substitute "nine months" for "12 months"? Agreed. In that case, I will now put the question on the amended amendment.

There are two issues in this area I wish to raise. The first relates to online banking and the second relates to online scams. I have raised these scams on numerous occasions over the past three years because I have been consistently contacted by people who have been affected and impacted by them. From the experiences of those I have been contracted by, it is particularly an issue at Christmas time, when people are under huge pressure and may fall for different types of scams more quickly. We know online banking is…

In accordance with Standing Order 85(2), the division is postponed until the weekly division time this evening. We will now suspend until 12 noon.

Last month, a report by the International Energy Agency found that energy companies are buying electricity at a third of the price they are selling it at. We have hard-pressed working people and families being absolutely fleeced by big energy companies. The report confirms that sky-high energy prices are not the result of unpredictable global market shocks. Quite simply, they are being set by price-gouging energy companies lining the pockets of their shareholders at the expense of ordinary people. We need to give p…

I, too, like the previous speaker, have been a public representative for some time. I have been a public representative for the last 11 years and I have to say, I have never seen the housing crisis as bad as I am seeing it now. To be honest, at this point, I nearly think it is with intent. I am dealing with people, and we know the homeless figures are increasing every month, but I also see the impact of the housing crisis week in, week out in my clinics. On a practical level, however, when we are looking at Galway,…

I want to begin by saying the response from Government was outrageous. We have whistleblowers here today who clearly fed into this fantastic motion that Independent Ireland put forward and all we got from the Minister of State was gaslighting. To say it is not a Bill and, therefore, he cannot back it is nonsense. Deputy Buckley and I introduced a Bill four years ago and it was not acted on. Also, this motion has recommendations in it. Then there is talk about the EU review. The whole reason for the changes in the w…

The Government can legislate.

I again raise the 424 bus service, which is still leaving passengers at the side of the road day in and day out. The bus serves Connemara, from Lettermullen and Carna into Galway city, but once it gets to Bearna, it is full, leaving commuters on the side of the road without a bus service. This is a ludicrous situation, with approximately 2,000 people living in the Bearna area and especially when Galway city's traffic is constantly at a standstill and we desperately need better public transport options. A bus route …

Over the past ten or 11 years that I have been a public representative in Galway, every single year the rental situation gets worse. Over the past five years - between 2020 and 2025 - rents have increased by 75% in Galway city. In the past 12 months alone, rents in Galway city have increased by 12.6%. The average monthly rent is now €2,300. As an Teachta Doherty said, our amendment is something for which we had campaigned for a very long time, but we were always told by the Ministers that it would only increase the…