As the Minister will be aware, the MV Alta ran aground in Ballycotton last February and unfortunately, it is still there. It has not been moved. It is a massive blight on the area of Ballycotton. We pride ourselves on the coastal area. It is also a health and safety issue that has been ongoing since last February and has not been addressed. I spoke to the landowner and contacted the Minister's Department last year. A contractor would have gone down and removed the ship, with the permission of the landowner, but tha…

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. He mentioned the section of the Merchant Shipping (Salvage and Wreck) Act 1993, which gives effect to the International Convention on Salvage of 1989. However, it says that the Minister for Transport has the power to appoint an official, known as a receiver of the wreck, to organise the process of dealing with it. If I go back to where we are today, that ship is still below. The onus, from the Minister of State’s reply, is on Cork County Council but that council will hav…

I congratulate the Regional Group on bringing forward this motion and I hope that its members will accept the Sinn Féin amendment. Ireland relies heavily on imported energy today. Once we use up the fuel in the Corrib gas field, we will be nearly completely reliant on gas we import via the gas pipelines from the UK. We have seen what can happen when Russia decides to limit the amount of gas it wants Europe to have. Ireland has a solution to energy security right now. We have all seen the energy of the wind during S…

I too welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill today. I am pleased to see both the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, and the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, are present. We have tabled a number of amendments to the Bill. I do not think they are life-changing, but they could mean an awful lot when it comes to accountability, clarity and information tracing and sharing. I wish to touch on a few points. We are well aware there is a pandemic, that it is new, and that everybody is learning. As other speakers h…

I too am delighted to introduce this Bill with my colleague Deputy Farrell. I will be brief because she has explained a lot of this already. In my own experience over a number of years in my previous role as spokesperson on mental health, I received a number of protected disclosures and the law was very weak. I raised this issue on numerous occasions with three separate Ministers and a Taoiseach and the reply I got at the time was, "It is a protected disclosure; what do you want me to do with it?" This amending Bil…

I will take a slightly different angle on this issue. A principal recently stated: Not only are school leaders asked to be 'Public Health', magically create subs out of fresh air we now are asked to ensure all pupils from 3rd class up wear masks? This is also not law? Schools are now caught in the crossfire once again. Colleagues in other schools have received vicious emails already warning schools not to implement this. (Yesterday we had 16 staff members absent, we were one staff member away from closing a class, …

I welcome the fact the Government will not oppose the motion tonight. The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, has heard the statements from the Deputies here tonight. They are true and we have all known people who have been directly affected. Obviously, the Minister has been in direct contact with people. However, when you listen to witness statements and to a woman saying how she breastfed her child while facing a wall and for her to have that child torn from her breast and for it to have taken nearly 45 years to see him, …

Following the publication of the final report from the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes, the Government committed to establishing a restorative recognition scheme for survivors. The Government also committed to the provision of a form of enhanced medical card. Will the Minister indicate when that card will be issued?

I have listened to the speakers and I congratulate the Rural Independent Group for bringing forward this motion. Only yesterday, I read a recent newspaper headline stating: Spain cuts soaring energy prices with emergency measures. Government expects to redirect €2.6bn from firms to consumers in next six months, with average monthly bill falling by 22%. Some Members today have stated that while we acknowledge green policies, we must also acknowledge the current emergency in energy. The Minister of State said in his …

I listened to the Minister's opening comments earlier. I am not here to bash anybody. I thank all the front-line workers. We could spend 20 minutes naming all of the jobs. I am worried about clarity and the short notice. We have the jazz festival in Cork this weekend. I have been speaking to many business owners who were planning for additional hours. It is hitting that sector again. I want to flag this. This debate is about reframing the challenge, continuing our recovery and reconnecting. Reconnecting is getting …

I ask for the detail of work to improve the responsiveness of the HSE to reports regarding the conditions of mental health facilities and to provide oversight and accountability in this regard.

I welcome the Minister of State's reply. This issue has to do with the Mental Health Commission but it also has to do with the HSE. There have been reports about this in 2016, 2018 and 2020, as well as two reports in March 2021 making recommendations that were due to be completed in 2016. The HSE does not seem to have the accountability to stand over its own buildings. This goes back to the Owenacurra centre. The HSE is saying the building is not fit for purpose. I want all the Ministers and Ministers of State to h…

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I have a copy of the report from 2016. I have been trying to say that the HSE was told back in 2016. In 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, therefore, it was okay for people to live in the centre but now it is unsafe. The Minister of State is blaming the Mental Health Commission, which is there to improve services. The HSE has ignored all those requests for services and we now have a centre that is threatened with closure. It is causing immense stress. We have no clar…

I have listened to many speeches in the last few days. The Government is out of touch. It is not listening to what is happening outside this box, which is crazy. If you are a renter, this budget does nothing for you. The energy prices, with the carbon tax, have gone off the scale. There will be probably the most expensive childcare system in Europe. If you are trying to get to school, you will not get there because school transport is a disaster and I did not see anything to address that. The previous speaker menti…

I thank the Minister for being here today and welcome the opportunity to speak. I listened to a lot of the speakers. We are an island that is deeply dependent on air and sea travel, but supporting the aviation sector during the pandemic was vital. I agree that the TWSS should go forward. I was very surprised by the number of pilots who live in my area, and heard their stories and the hardship they have gone through. Given that I am from Cork, I might as well mention Cork Airport. Dublin seems to be getting practica…

I thank the Minister for being present. The core of his opening statement was the last line when he said that these families deserve to know that the health service has learned from what happened to them so it never happens again. I am physically sick to my stomach because a long time ago I was in the situation of helping one of my best friends to bury a baby and it just brings back the scars now. I cannot imagine what those families are going through now. My condolences to all of them and their extended families. …

I thank the Minister for his opening remarks. It is good to see him and both Ministers of State here for the debate. I will begin by reading from statements I received in recent weeks in the context of a survey. They are the stories of people. One woman said she is a full-time carer, a single mother of two boys with special needs, who has been waiting five years to see a consultant. She stated she does not get respite or home help. Another mother said her child's teeth are severely out of shape and now, at 13 years…

I thank the Minister for his opening remarks. One has to give credit where it is due, that is, to Dr. Muldoon and his office. It struck me while researching this issue that the Lisbon declaration was only signed in 2021 but child poverty has been around for a long time. The declaration acknowledges that, "homelessness is one of the most extreme forms of social exclusion, negatively affecting people’s physical and mental health, well-being, and quality of life, as well as their access to employment and access to oth…

It has been said many times that we cannot support something that segregates our citizens and leaves them behind. We cannot pit family members against family members. My daughter works in a restaurant. What Deputy Martin Kenny said is true - tensions are already rising about who can go in and who cannot. I have spoken to a good number of publicans about this matter since Monday. They are in fear for their lives over what is going to happen. There is a soft touch, obligatory kind of approach, but all the onus is put…

The motion calls for a public inquiry into the deaths of people in nursing homes during Covid-19, including the quality of care that was provided. I am conscious there has to be balance found here. Nursing home staff have been under severe pressure and resources are probably also a factor. The Irish Association of Social Workers and the bereaved families of residents of the Ballynoe nursing home in Glanmire are also calling for a public inquiry. The inquiry must get answers to the families' questions on the lack of…