The most recent budget was an opportunity to address some of the challenges faced by social protection payment recipients, especially carers and those with disabilities. It was an opportunity to address the challenges facing those who are carers, a cohort of our people who have been let down by this Government time and again. Being a carer is work, often a labour of love, but it is work nonetheless. It is work that saves the State billions of euro yet carers are often treated abysmally. An initial application for c…

It is essential for the optional protocol to the UNCRPD to be ratified. As the Minister indicated in his response, the Government agreed to do so on 8 October. While that is welcome, October is in the dying days of this Dáil. Nobody expects it to last until after Christmas. I do not have to tell people here that those who live their lives with a disability need further support, support that the Government does not deliver. We all deal with that; every single day we get people in our constituency offices. Several ti…

Yesterday, I was contacted by a Clare woman regarding what she witnessed at University Hospital Limerick, UHL, on Monday evening. She explained that she had spent nine hours at UHL with her elderly mother, who had been referred to the accident and emergency department from north Clare. She described to me her experience of being in the accident and emergency department surrounded by people literally writhing in pain on trolleys, a disproportionate number of whom were vulnerable, elderly people. In her own case, her…

We need a second emergency department as a matter of urgency.

The €250 energy credit does not go far enough, as my colleagues have said. It is quite simply a gesture and does nothing to address runaway energy costs in this State under this Government. The Government has put together a once-off stunt while it has studiously avoided addressing the outrageous burden that these energy costs place on workers and their families. Householders are paying 60% more for their electricity than they did in December 2020. We have an energy market that does not function for families but ins…

The Taoiseach sets the tone on how to spend public money. In his previous role as Minister for Health, he showed how wasteful Fine Gael is when it comes to taxpayers' money. The State is spending €2 billion, if not more, on a children's hospital that is not even ready. The completion date has been pushed back again and again, with the latest indication that it will be in 2026. There is no definite date for completion. As the then Minister for Health, the Taoiseach signed off on the construction of the project. He r…

I thank the Minister of State for tabling this Bill and, like Deputy O’Reilly, I thank the officials, the people who have been working in the background and who often do not get the recognition they are due. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill, which is a technical one, as has been said. I welcome, in particular, a number of necessary alterations the Bill makes to corporate enforcement in this State. The enterprise, trade and employment committee, which I chair, worked well with the then Minister for en…

I join with my colleague Deputy Cullinane in offering condolences to the family of Aoife Johnston, especially her parents, James and Carol, and her sisters, Megan and Kate. The people of Limerick, of the mid-west and, I am sure, of the entire the country are perplexed as to how a healthy 16-year-old comes to their hospital and does not return home. Mr. Justice Clarke's report, which was issued on Friday, notes that the circumstances were almost certainly avoidable. The latter came as no surprise to many of us. This…

I am sharing time with my colleague.

We will take two minutes and 15 seconds each. The current Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael coalition, and the previous Fianna Fáil-supported Fine Gael Government, spent millions of euro of taxpayers' money on legal fees fighting this judgment. They fought it even though the European Commission believed Apple owed this tax. The Court of Justice of the European Union determined and deemed, as we in Sinn Féin always believed, that this money is indeed owed to the Irish State and its people. Ten years and €10 million in legal…

At the outset, I acknowledge that in the main, the Bill is positive. It is encouraging to see the Government adopt many of the recommendations of the expert review group. The Bill is a positive advancement in supporting those with mental health challenges. However, the delay in publishing the Bill is disappointing. The Government had four years to produce a Bill. To do so in the last weeks or months of its term means that its provisions will not be enacted in the lifetime of the Government. Two years after the pre-…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. Too many families are paying what is in many cases equivalent to a second mortgage when it comes to childcare. Having to contend with the astronomical price of childcare puts severe stress on families from all socioeconomic backgrounds. Regardless of ability to pay, there is the initial stress of sourcing a childcare provider. I am dealing with a family who live in the Dooradoyle area of Limerick. They have had to take two weeks of leave from their job because they simply cannot find a …

Offshore wind and wave energy have the potential, if harnessed, to make the State an exporter of energy. There is potential to create thousands of jobs, especially in coastal communities. While the investment required is steep, it can create a whole new economic sector and guarantee the creation of new jobs. Our island is surrounded by natural resources. I am confident we have the co-operation of political parties, third level institutions and private companies in advancing this project. What steps has the Departme…

I thank the Minister of State. Regarding offshore energy, many companies and people are making great strides already in this field. I commend Shannon-Foynes Port for the work it has done to date and for its Vision 2041 strategy that laid out in detail many of the challenges and potential available from offshore energy, especially in the mid-west region. The port is in proximity to the offshore wind resources. It has the deep-water port that is needed and the necessary development land nearby. It is well-suited, wit…

I thank the Minister of State. As I have said before, the development of offshore wind energy can be our generation's Ardnacrusha moment. We either act now or fall behind our competitors, which are basically Scotland, Germany and other countries. We can harness this energy and export the excess Ireland does not need or we can import it from abroad. That is the choice we are facing. It is as simple as that. We can either harness the energy from wind or purchase it from abroad. Does the Minister of State share my con…

I first spoke on the issue of the community access support team in 2021, not long after it was announced that it was to be trialled in Limerick. I was told at the time that it was going to be operational in 2022. Unfortunately, this did not happen. My colleague Deputy Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, about it in 2022. He was also told that the community access support team would be up and running in 2022. I have raised this issue several times in this Chamber over the years, as well as in meetin…

I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate her response, but it seems that we do not have a cast-iron guarantee about when the unit will launch. She will excuse me for having concerns about the date of quarter 4 of 2024, because we have been told different dates on numerous occasions, but we will wait. I do understand that progress has been made. For the first time, there are definite numbers and figures. There were meetings yesterday in Limerick, as the Minister of State has said. I have been speaking with the HS…

I am pleased to have the opportunity to address the important issue of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. It requires all of us, Government and Opposition, to act and play our part in bringing about change in this area. In recent weeks, there has been a lot of talk about the vicious attack on Natasha O'Brien and the sentence in that case. Unfortunately, that case is not unique but it is a strong demonstration of the violence that impacts so many people, in particular women, in our society. It should never …

I wish to acknowledge the important role that digs accommodation plays in providing accommodation for students. I am very proud that Limerick is a wonderful university city with the University of Limerick, the Technological University of the Shannon, the Mary Immaculate campus and the art college, among others, all based in Limerick city. Students are a vibrant and welcome addition to the Limerick population and provide value to Limerick and its surroundings. Digs are an important source of accommodation for studen…

The proposal to renew the Offences against the State (Amendment) Act is another missed opportunity. Last year we had a review that recommended the repeal of the legislation and its replacement with permanent and modern legislation that would be fit for purpose, but here we are again. Unfortunately, the threat posed by organised crime and violence associated with large-scale drug distribution is not a memory from a distant era but a clear and present danger to our society. Too often it is innocent people who are imp…