After years of campaigning, yesterday was a fantastic day for Kerry and Ireland, and especially for north Kerry, with the granting of planning permission by An Bord Pleanála to Shannon LNG for a 600 MW power plant on the Tarbert-Ballylongford land bank. It will create more than 1,000 jobs during construction and more than 100 permanent jobs thereafter. This decision is fully consistent with the climate action plan and will be a lifeline and game-changer for the north Kerry region, similar to the south Kerry greenwa…

I too congratulate the Minister on his recent appointment and wish him the very best going forward. Carers do great work and a provide a great service for the State. In that context, means-testing for the carer's allowance should be phased out. What are the Minister's plans for the phasing out of the means test?

Recent media reports suggest the cost of abolishing the means test for carer's allowance is in the region of €3 billion per annum. I understand that is the Department's own estimate. In the Minister's opinion, how definitive is this estimate? In March 2023, the Parliamentary Budget Office estimated the cost of fully abolishing the means test at €397 million. It also costed raising the income threshold so that all households earning under €100,000 would qualify for carer's allowance at €387 million. In 2024, the Par…

Following budget 2025, the carer's allowance income disregard will be increased to €625 for a single person and €1,250 for a couple from July 2025. How many additional carers are now likely to qualify on the basis of this change? Does the Minister intend to increase the disregard year on year, over five budgets?

We have two special education classes in Kerry for primary school children who are deaf or hard of hearing. However, there are no classes for second level students. I cannot understand how the Department of Education does not see that there is a need for continuation of supports for second level, particularly when students are faced with learning so many new subjects and also when they are at an age when, in terms of their mental health, they can struggle to cope with so many challenges. Every child is precious and…

I welcome the Ukrainian ambassador, Larysa Gerasko, and all the Ukrainian people here today. I wish to extend a very warm, special welcome and céad míle fáilte to Misha, the ten-year-old boy who is now a fluent Gaeilgeoir after a very short two years and who plays the bosca ceoil. I welcome his sister, Varvara, his mum Hanna and her partner from Ballyferriter in west Kerry, Dónal Ó Catháin. It is an absolutely tremendous story and it shows the way the Irish people and the Ukrainian people have interacted. It is a c…

This disruption is not just inconvenient, it is deeply damaging. These children and families have already endured the trauma of displacement, have finally started to rebuild their lives in safety and now they are being asked to uproot again----

----with no consideration for their emotional or mental well-being. This is both heartless and impractical. I urge the Government to reconsider this approach immediately. Decisions that affect people's lives, especially vulnerable children----

I am finishing. Ireland's response to the Ukrainian crisis in Ukraine has been admirable. However, we must continue to adapt, learn and approach the challenges with a spirit of solidarity and care for all. Let us not forget that behind every policy, every decision----

---- there are people, real lives, real families who deserve nothing less than our best efforts to treat them with dignity and respect. Thank you.

I, too, would like to be associated with the good wishes to the Minister. I wish her the very best going forward. I have no doubt her heart is in the right place. In County Kerry, we are fortunate to have so many opportunities to stay active and look after ourselves. Our beautiful surroundings, from the sea to the mountains, naturally encourage us to get outside, walk, swim and explore. More than just our environment, however, we are also seeing a real shift in how people here approach health and well-being. Over t…

The threat to, and cost of, the provision of safe drinking water affects every human being. We are reliant on the disposal of our wastewater, which is a major challenge to our local authorities. Are these to be dealt with as one as they are closely linked? By ensuring we have safe drinking water, can we also upgrade our wastewater facilities, including the provision of constructed wetlands to provide a solution for rural Ireland? The vast majority of our villages, for example in County Kerry, are unsewered. If the …

In University Hospital Kerry, we have great staff and a great manager whose interests are in her staff and especially in the patients who use the facilities there. However, we have a crisis in the accident and emergency department where patients are waiting 24, 36, 48 hours and longer. Many of these are elderly people. A 96 bed block is required in addition to the 39 beds which are already in train there. A new maternity unit is urgently required there due to the clinical risks to both mother and baby and due to th…

The Minister will be aware that there is an enormous need for carers to look after our senior citizens, children and disabled people in the home. Being subject to a means test is an obstacle to bringing carers into the system. Does the Minister agree that a means test in this situation serves no purpose and should be dispensed with as soon as possible? I am aware that doing so is included in the programme for Government. That is very welcome. Carers are an invaluable resource to the State and therefore need to be p…

I take this opportunity to thank the people of Kerry for electing me to the Thirty-fourth Dáil. I will endeavour to repay their trust in me by working hard and doing my best to deliver in the coming years. There is sheer chaos in the accident and emergency department in University Hospital Kerry. Staff there are run off their feet. Our senior citizens are left waiting on chairs for 24, 36, 48 hours and longer. I am aware of cases where senior citizens have actually fallen off chairs while waiting. We should all be …