I would like a debate on this issue here today.

I welcome members of Kinsale Men's Shed who are with us today. I also welcome those in the Gallery involved in short-term lets who are fighting for their very survival and were in Buswells Hotel earlier today. The people of Ireland, mainly in coastal communities, are genuinely worried about what the Government is about to do with these short-term letting proposals. In places like west Cork, from Kinsale to Castletownbere, Airbnb and short-term let hosts are ordinary families, mainly small farmers and women trying t…

They are what keeps rural Ireland going. Rural Ireland has taken enough hits. Will the Government step back from this?

The Minister said different today.

In two years, it will be game over.

I was at a funeral recently. What happened there kind of summed matters up very easily. I was going along the queue and shaking hands with people. There was a fishermen at the end of the queue. What we said to me - even though I knew it, it shocked me to the core - was, "Thanks very much. Can I just say one thing to you? One day out - quota caught. Jesus, it's over." There was no point in me saying anything different. I shuddered when I heard those words. Hearing them was like getting a slap in the face with a shov…

If Deputy Tóibín does not arrive, Deputy Flynn will probably take his time. What has happened over the past few weeks with regard to special needs assistants has been nothing short of disgraceful. Families, schools and SNAs were thrown into turmoil because the National Council for Special Education sent out letters telling up to 200 schools that they would lose SNA support next year. In some cases, schools were staring down the loss of half of their entire SNA team, a blow no community could possibly absorb. It was…

Many people, especially those in rural Ireland, stand to benefit greatly from fair, balanced and practical remote working arrangements. Reduced commuting, more time with family, lower carbon emissions and the ability to work closer to home are meaningful gains that improve quality of life and support regional development. However, we must also ensure balance. Employers need clarity, practicality and safeguards and workers need a system that is genuinely accessible, not one that is bogged down in bureaucracy or easi…

My constituents are deeply concerned about the imminent closure of Perrott House, a mental health care facility in Skibbereen. This residential care facility, which was staffed 24 hours, had been home to many long-term residents and provided them with essential programmes like horticulture, music, poetry and art as well as access to the local library, church and shops in Skibbereen. The HSE continues to deny Perrott House is closing but with two patients left in this once-great facility the writing is on the wall. …

Yes, and they are being moved.

We need the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to come to the Dáil for statements on the short-term lets legislation which will come before the Dáil. At last week's committee meeting, which was held in private, officials from the Departments of tourism and of planning would not answer in public as to what is happening. They were all over the place in relation to the planning aspect of this legislation. The Minister cannot shy away from this and let Airbnb and the short-term lets in rural communities in…

Whatever you-----

At the end of January, the first home-bred case of bluetongue was found in a cow in County Wexford through routine checks in a slaughterhouse. That was the first time we saw it in an Irish-born animal, and it has, rightly, put farmers on edge. Now we are told, and it is important to repeat, that bluetongue does not affect people or the safety of our milk or meat and does not jump from animal to animal. The problem is the midges spread it and, as many farmers will tell you, you cannot fence out midges. As a result o…

We support this motion because behind every statistic is a family like the one I met last week. They were parents who missed repayments after illness and a job loss. They begged their bank for help and tried to restructure. Instead, they had their mortgage sold off in a bundle to a vulture fund. The house they built a life in is gone but the letters keep coming, telling them they still owe every cent. The fund, having bought the loan at a knock-down price, is now chasing them for the full balance with interest. Tha…

In west Cork, we are extremely lucky to have not one but two outstanding outdoor sailing and training centres, namely, the Fastnet marine and outdoor education centre in Schull and the Kinsale outdoor education centre. These centres are a lifeline for our young people, schools and local economy. In recent weeks, we have learned that the future of both centres is at risk because of a lack of funding. I ask the Tánaiste to work with the Department of education to ensure proper funding is channelled to Cork Education …

I thank Aontú for tabling this motion which important for the whole country. This has been a hobby horse of mine since I came into the Dáil in 2016 because I saw, in my short two years in the council, the damage in my constituency mainly caused by blocked rivers. I genuinely want to have this addressed. What is blocking people from going in, perhaps putting in an application for a river to be cleaned out and for it to be cleaned out? It is so simple but it is made so difficult. It has destroyed houses and homes the…

Deputy Stanley said we should not force through this Bill tonight, and I echo that sentiment, for many reasons. I agree with the amendments that are before us. Let us be honest. I hear a lot of comments about landlords. Landlords, unfortunately, include people who just have one extra house, yet they are still classified as landlords. I think it is very unfair for such people to be called a landlord. At the same time, I deal with landlords quite a lot. I have to deal with them. If a person is coming to you looking f…

The Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, in spite of its intentions, raises concerns as it could have unintended consequences for many people in this country. The part that raises most concerns for the tourism sector is the short-term letting planning part. It is being proposed as part of this new legislation that Airbnb, bed and breakfast and short-term lets will require registration and planning permission. The people who let for the short term, mainly for tourism purposes, have no issue with be…

I will.

The Taoiseach may say that I am putting forward a doomsday scenario. It is doomsday for these people who have been doing Airbnb for the past five, ten, 20, 30, 40 or 50 years if planning regulations have to come into place. I welcome the statement from the Minister, Deputy Burke, but the planning requirement is still going ahead. That is the very serious concern we all have. That is the part that will ruin existing short-term holiday lets. Independent Ireland has an amendment tomorrow night that would safeguard exi…