Local authorities need to do much more about our vacant council housing stock. We have houses vacant for one, five, ten, 15 or 20 years, or longer. Some of these properties are beyond repair. Others require substantial works. There are vacant rural cottages that were part of a farm and that family members wish to buy and have been trying to do so for many years. Where there is value for money, of course we should be doing up these properties and reallocating them to qualified housing applicants; where it is too cos…

The closure of Skellig Michael to landings is a crime. It is having a detrimental effect on the local economy and the economies of Iveragh, south Kerry and the entire county. People come from every corner of the world to visit this very special, majestic place, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. The knock-on effect this is having, not just on boat operators, but on local hotels, guesthouses, bed and breakfasts, shops, restaurants, pubs, filling stations, etc., cannot be calculated. I ask the Taoiseach and the M…

There is a need to accelerate all of our regeneration schemes that have commenced and to expedite and accelerate town centre first schemes. They are a way of tackling dereliction. I would like to see the €100,000 over-the-shop grant introduced as soon as possible because it is another way of tackling dereliction and providing badly needed houses in rural towns and villages. There are two schemes ongoing in Kerry, the Killorglin and Cahersiveen regeneration schemes. I would like to see them accelerated. I refer also…

Will the Minister outline his plans for increasing the number of housing options available to older people to facilitate ageing in place with dignity and independence? Will he also provide an update on the development of a policy on rightsizing?

I thank the Minister of State for that. Rightsizing generally means moving home in later life into housing that is more suitable. It is more usually known as downsizing. It can also mean adapting your home to make it more age appropriate or considering other housing options. The Housing for All plan sets out that the current and projected need for housing among our older people should be made through clear, target-driven local authority delivery action plans and housing strategies. Can the Minister of State indicat…

I have come across senior citizens from Glencairn, Callanafersy, Keel and Castlemaine who wish to move to Killorglin town. They wish to be near the local shop, the post office, the church and the doctor. I have cases where senior citizens in Rathmore and Barraduff wish to move to Killarney town for the very same reasons. I have come across cases of senior citizens from Lispole, Anascaul and Ballyferriter who wish to move to Dingle town. I have also come across cases of individuals in Templenoe and Sneem who wish to…

“Housing and Critical Infrastructure” is a very appropriate heading for the motion as we cannot have housing without critical infrastructure. In my own county of Kerry, we are in the Dark Ages when it comes to critical infrastructure. The majority of villages in County Kerry do not have any wastewater treatment facilities. In the first week of December 2023, €6 million was announced by the Department for the Beaufort village sewerage scheme but it has not progressed since. I was recently informed that it will take …

Skellig Michael, where monks lived, worked and prayed hundreds of years ago, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its place in the history and culture of Kerry and Ireland is undisputed but it is also vital to the local economy of south Kerry, the Iveragh Peninsula and, indeed, the whole country. It attracts visitors from all over the world, even more so since the filming of the "Star Wars" series there in recent years. It is amazing for the local economy. The landing of passengers on the island requires a licence. At …

The question is to ask the Minister for Social Protection his plans to provide increased flexibility in the rural social scheme and if he will make a statement on the matter. The rural social scheme was introduced in the first instance by former Minister Éamon Ó Cuív in 2004. I pay tribute to him for that. Of course, he was the first ever full Cabinet Minister with a specific brief for rural Ireland. I wish to thank all the participants and their supervisors in County Kerry for the tremendous work they have carried…

I thank the Minister. I welcome the proposed increase in age limits. That is welcome. The scheme should now be made more flexible to include all people living in rural Ireland on low incomes. The RSS delivers to rural communities key community services including the maintenance of sporting facilities, community recreation areas and waymarked walking routes. Declining participation since 2019 is causing a concern that rural communities may be left without key community services. The report includes 19 recommendation…

Skellig Michael, or Sceilg Mhichíl, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. The rock on which monks lived, worked and prayed hundreds of years ago is named after the Archangel Michael. We all could do with a little help from him. Skellig Michael's place in the history and culture of Kerry and Ireland is undisputed but it is also vital to the local economy of south Kerry, Iveragh and the whole county. It attracts visitors from all over the world and even more so since the filming in recent years of some of…

I thank the Minister of State. I cannot emphasise strongly enough the importance of Skellig Michael opening on time to the tourism industry in my county. It is fair to say they are very concerned. Every day, there is obviously a loss of earnings, and I ask the Minister of State to engage with his colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Kevin Boxer Moran, and ask that he do everything in his power to resolve this issue on time. I am aware of the legal proceedings but I am also acutely aware of the knock-on effect t…

I would like to address the issue of the national apprenticeship training placement system. I understand apprenticeship scheduling is currently carried out on a national basis by co-ordinating providers and all efforts are made to schedule apprentices to their nearest available training location. If this is not possible, they will be called to the next nearest available location. However, the system is restricted by the availability of training spaces within the pool of college providers for the craft in question. …

I thank the Minister for his detailed response and the work he is doing in this area. I would like to briefly mention Kerry ETB, of which I was a member for many years. I know first-hand the tremendous variety of courses provided there. I would like to take this opportunity to ask the Minister to increase the number of courses provided in all of our colleges, not just in Kerry but throughout the country. I believe that is important. I mentioned middle and low income earners and how difficult it is to pay for and ac…

There is a growing need for low-cost sites. It will help in addressing the housing crisis. It might not be the only solution but it will give young people a chance to secure their first home in every part of the country, especially in my county of Kerry. The area is under significant pressure, including around towns such as Killarney, Cahirsiveen, Killorglin and Castleisland. We have huge issues with planning. I like the idea the Minister mentioned about introducing a maverick. I hope he or she will be successful. …

Storm Éowyn caused enormous damage. We are all aware of the difficulties and hardships so many households, farmers and businesses experienced as a result of this unprecedented storm. The humanitarian assistance scheme introduced by the Minister, Dara Calleary, was most welcome. I thank him for that and for moving so swiftly. Extreme weather events are more common today than ever before. I welcome the fact that the programme for Government has a commitment to develop an extreme weather event assistance scheme for ho…

St. Francis Special School at Beaufort, County Kerry, is a fantastic facility. We should be striving to develop a centre of excellence there for respite facilities for children with special needs and all types of disability. These services are under threat throughout County Kerry. It was recently announced that day services at Cahersiveen, based in a building purchased by a local charity group there, Cúnamh Iveragh, are to be curtailed. The lands at Whitefield, Beaufort, were generously donated by the Doyle family …

-----the State a huge service. They have not had a break in several months, even for a night or two. Excellent services and facilities are on site, as well as suitable land for future and further development. Our ambition should be to develop a super respite centre in Beaufort. It is an ideal location in the heart of mid-Kerry.

As the Minister of State is aware, staffing and beds in all our hospitals is a huge issue. This is not just the case in our large acute hospitals but also in all our community hospitals, and West Kerry Community Hospital is no different. A provision was once made for 71 beds in West Kerry Community Hospital. It was capped at 36 beds, and there are only 42 open today, which means there should be room for a further 29 beds. GPs in Dingle and throughout west Kerry have been endeavouring to secure beds for patients thr…

I ask the Minister of State to get directly in touch with the Minister of State with responsibility for older people. The reply is pretty much the same as that received by the former Deputy for Kerry, Brendan Griffin, last January 12 months. It is not acceptable or fair on the staff in West Kerry Community Hospital, including the doctors and nurses, its patients and, indeed, the patients' families. I ask that every effort be made to open the 79 beds and to provide staffing levels. I referred to patients in Kenmare …