Nobody disputes the need to save lives on our roads. Where there are real black spots, enforcement has its place. Let me be very clear that rural Ireland cannot be treated as an afterthought here. People outside of our small towns and cities rely on their cars every single day to walk, to farm and to bring children to school because public transport simply is not there. This strategy must not become another layer of penalties and surveillance on already stretched rural motorists. Camera locations must be based on r…

Let us cut to the chase with the language of these amendments and get to the reality of what people are asking at home. The foreign fishing vessels in our waters are, by and large, not there illegally. We all know that. They are there under EU rules. If they were acting illegally, though, would this legislation actually stop them? Would we see real enforcement or more talking while Irish waters were left exposed? Fishers along our coast have heard it all before - promises of protection and action - but when push co…

In principle, we will be supporting the Bill because of the importance it holds for the much-needed projects out there. I was in Galway recently and I met a lot of people in relation to Galway University Hospital. Staff are working in shocking conditions, with scaffolding in place for the past two years slattering around the place like frisbees. It is a bit of a joke in this modern era in which we live. Some 4,000 brilliant staff are trying to work under those conditions. Who has the final say as to where all these…

I was going to mention the short-term lets and the legislation and the looming date of 20 May, but the advanced paramedics are out on strike today. I refer to the disrespect that is being shown to them. It is a long-standing pay dispute, going on since 2020. We need an urgent debate on it today in the House.

I thank nurses across the country. Without them, we would not have a health service, but the reality is that student nurses are being worked full time caring for patients while struggling to afford rent, transport and food. Much of this work is unpaid. Travel accommodation and fuel costs are pushing students into debt, hardship and even homelessness just to qualify. By the time they graduate, many are already burned out. That is not sustainable. If we want nurses to stay, we must support them properly during traini…

In recent years, energy suppliers operating in Ireland recorded profits running into hundreds of millions of euro, even as households struggled with some of the highest electricity prices in Europe. That reality is why stronger transparency, oversight and consumer protection are not only justified, but necessary. This pressure has been felt most sharply in rural Ireland. When people in rural areas do not have access to cash, they have no alternative. They rely on electricity, oil and solid fuel, often in older home…

Early years providers across the country are contacting me in distress after receiving commercial rate demands from their local authority. These are essential community services already under enormous financial pressure and now they are being hit with unexpected bills that threaten their very viability. The Minister, Deputy Foley, has stated that rates decisions are a matter for Tailte Éireann and the local authorities, yet she also acknowledges the critical importance of early learning and childcare for families a…

On 20 May, the people of this country doing short-term lets, Airbnb, etc., are supposed to sign up to a document. It is like a blank cheque. There is no legislation, despite being promised here for many years, never mind over the last number of months. I have been asking nearly every week for three months to bring the Minister before the Dáil to explain the situation. Do not expect people on 20 May to sign a blank cheque. Surely be to God, the Minister can come before the Dáil and explain what is going on.

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this important motion. There are families from flats in Dublin in the audience today. Good, decent people are being left to live in damp, mouldy, unsafe homes. That is simply unacceptable. I have seen it in towns and villages in west Cork, where people have been waiting years for repairs that never come. They are paying high rents while living in conditions that no one here would be expected to tolerate. The Government talks about housing numbers but a substandard home is not …

I thank the Deputy. I did not interrupt when she was speaking.

Hang on a minute, we are talking about them too. There is plenty of time to let the Deputy talk when she wants to. The whole problem of the short-term lets is a serious issue for our communities. At the same time, you see vacant council houses and HSE houses all over the place. There is plenty of housing. The Government is going after a sector it should not be going after.

I thank the Leas Cheann-Comhairle. I might beg your indulgence for a couple of seconds before my Leader's Question. I would briefly like to say "Thank you" to Brigid McGlynn, who is finishing in the Dáil today. I wish her the very best and thank her for all her work and kindness to us all down through the years. She has been here since 1980, so we can only imagine what she has seen and heard in these corridors during that time. We want to say, "Thank you" to Brigid on behalf of everyone in the Dáil.

Energy poverty is not a theory. It is a reality in kitchens and sitting rooms across the country today. This morning on "Ireland AM", it was stated that households need an extra €480 a year just to exit fuel poverty. That figure is now backed up by new ESRI research published today, which tells us that 14% of Irish households, one in seven, cannot afford adequate warmth or to pay their energy bills in full. When broader measures are taken into account, up to 30% of households are experiencing some form of energy af…

I thank the Tánaiste for his reply. If the system was working, 317,000 households would not be in electricity arrears, with average debts close to €500 and 190,000 families stuck in long-term arrears. That is deep-rooted energy hardship and when the ESRI tells us that just €480 a year would lift a household out of fuel poverty, it is indefensible that people are being allowed to sink further into debt instead of being helped over that line. I see Government saying in the past week that it is forecasting a €9.2 bill…

I will start by welcoming the package. There is no point in saying that the package has been announced and we are against those announcements. It took a long time. It was a huge struggle because people were bitterly disappointed that that struggle had to take place. At least, something has been put in place. I have other concerns but any recognition by the Government that fuel costs are putting serious pressure on transport operators, farmers and fishing is necessary and overdue. The funding envelope is significant…

I thank Deputy Gogarty and his staff for putting this motion together. It seeks to reform how our family law system operates, not by removing protections for children but by modernising a system that is too secretive, too closed and too unaccountable for the level of power it exercises over families. Family law cases are sensitive, but sensitivity cannot continue to be used as an excuse for blanket secrecy. The in camera rule, as currently applied under the Guardianship of Infants Act and the Child Care Act, has cr…

Many years ago a young girl from Oldcourt in Bray had a dream. At a time when women were not even allowed to box, Katie Taylor dreamed of winning an Olympic gold medal for Ireland. She went on to achieve that dream in London in 2012 and in doing so she changed Irish sport and world sport forever. Katie has been the driving force behind the rise of women's boxing, helping to bring it to where it is today. As an amateur she won multiple world titles and Olympic gold medals. As a professional she has achieved everythi…

I want straight answers today on the delay and the disorder surrounding the short-term letting and tourism Bill. The general scheme was approved by the Government last April, yet we are here again with no Bill published, no final planning guidance and no clarity for the people whose livelihoods are directly affected. At the same time, tens of thousands of small family-run accommodation providers across the country, many of whom are in the rural and coastal communities we represent, are still being told they must be…

I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. He said that I create a storm but this has been talked about for two years and the Government cannot-----

Sorry. They are ringing me from west Cork.