I thank the Minister of State for taking the question. There seems to bit of a Cork contingent here tonight, for a change. I wish to read into the record a statement from the Sinn Féin spokesperson on Gaeilge, the Gaeltacht, arts, culture and heritage, Deputy Ó Snodaigh. It is to do with the scrapping of the LÉ Eithne . It states: Opting to scrap the vessel without even doing a cost-benefit analysis into the alternative of using it as a museum is bad policy-making. Even worse is the fact that this wasn't even discu…

It is interesting. Listening to the first half of the Minister of State's response, I thought it was brilliant that she outlined the whole history of the LÉ Eithne for me. We will lose all of that. I am disappointed by the fact that the contracts have been signed, but contracts can be pulled. I will go to both Ministers who are responsible because, as I said, the amount of history attached to this boat and the harbours can be seen in the first half of the Minister of State's response. I cannot believe that the coun…

I thank the Minister of State for being here. The report contains 109 recommendations, but the committee probably could have made more. A great deal of work went into the report, which is a blueprint for how the services should be run. It tells the true life stories of the witnesses who appeared before the committee, provides details of the expert reviews and so on. This was probably the best committee of which I have been a member. Every member of the committee was passionate about the issue. We never fought or ha…

I have raised this issue in the Dáil before. Five weeks ago, I raised a Topical Issue matter regarding a young lady who was 17 years old. Her name is Katie Byrne, and she has been waiting for a hip operation for 14 years. That is absolutely bonkers. In that Topical Issue debate, I said to the Minister who was substituting at the time that I had approached the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, on 24 January this year with that full case file. As of today, I have not gotten as much as a response. It undermines me in…

It was sent directly to the Minister's mailbox.

I thank the Minister of State.

I thank the Minister of State for being here. In fairness, it is not easy. I listened to most speakers today and to the Minister of State's opening statement, and it is true. People still hear it said that it is impossible to commit suicide in Ireland. It is actually impossible; a person cannot commit suicide in Ireland, since it was decriminalised in 1993. I want to put on the record that I always said I would work with the Minister of State. We have worked on other various projects. I attended the launch of the M…

What about fuel subsidies?

The Minister mentioned in his opening speech the €305.5 million in support schemes. It is a long time since I worked in a fish plant. We used to process fish in this country that were caught in this country. We have the possibility here of having a more than €1 billion sustainable industry in this country. We are going the wrong way when I hear previous speakers talking about quotas and the like. These are our waters and this is our fishing industry. Talking to fishermen in Ballycotton, Cobh, Youghal and Goleen, th…

I meet the Minister of State again at the handy times and he gets all the handy ones. While I am bringing this up, I want to put on the record that the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, also has the full documentation on what I am about to raise. Ms Katie Byrne is a young lady aged 17 from Cobh. She has been waiting for an operation since she was four years old. Katie's family have been through hell for the past 14 years and Katie has been damaged mentally. After a recent visit to the hospital on Monday, 22 January 2024, …

I can finish on this one.

No panic.

I appreciate the Minister of State's response. We have worked on issues before, which he has resolved and for which I thank him. I know we have capacity but we also have capacity and performance issues. Based on this response, I can assure the House that this will not set her back from walking. She will be up and out of bed using a walker within a day or two of surgery. Her muscles will work better due to the improved hip mechanics and so they will seem stronger, not weaker. The National Treatment Purchase Fund is …

As Deputy Ó Cathasaigh said the Minister of State is really getting the tour of it. Funnily enough I know Lismore, Tallow, Ballynaraha out into Curraglass and on into Conna. My wife is actually a Tallow woman. The Minister of State is really getting the in-depth tour of it and I thank him for being here this evening. I am raising the 18 October flooding in Midleton and the surrounding areas. Only last weekend a video was streamed on social media - I think it was Facebook - of a family I know. They were really terri…

I thank the Minister of State for the response and, as I said, I know about the sensors being installed on the pedestrian bridge, the Lidl bridge, the People's Park, and so forth, and that the drone survey has been completed. I also know a number of CFRAM studies have been done and there has been some engagement on the removal of that bridge. The reason I want to put this on the record, and I am a realist, is that everybody's story is a tragedy, no matter where it is in the country, so it is to highlight the level …

I will cut straight to the chase. The terms of reference of this tribunal of inquiry are too tight. This is not coming from me; it is coming from those present in the Gallery who have lobbied on this issue. I ask the Government to accept the Sinn Féin amendment. I listened to previous speakers. I will stick to the issue of chemical abuse in the Defence Forces because I want to give a synopsis of what those affected by this have gone through. This is only one side of it. These are not my words; they come from the Ai…

The Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach has completed its consideration of the following Supplementary Estimates for Public Services for the service of the year ending on 31 December 2023: Votes 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18 and 43.

Considering this is about flood relief, I acknowledge that I met the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, in Midleton at the entrance to Tir Cluain estate and Moore's Bridge on the Sunday. I want to give a synopsis of why we are here tonight. These are the words of one of the volunteers in the hub in Midleton, County Cork: The events of Wednesday 18 October 2023 will forever be engrained in the memory of everyone in east Cork .... Within hours of opening our doors the true devastation became obvious and we walked a…

The Civil Defence, the Garda, local councils and everybody else were amazing. It must be acknowledged that the emergency payments to households and businesses have been very well received. It is still a crap show down there at the moment. I will be lucky to have my office open for Christmas but it is only an office and people's homes, businesses and lives have been deeply affected. I think there is a public meeting next Tuesday. People want to know what the plan is going forward. We cannot predict everything. There…

I am going to put a full stop here. It is as simple as this. We have to refer the Israeli Government to the ICC. I ask the Government to withdraw its amendment. A number of days ago, the High Representative, on behalf of the European Union, stated, "The EU condemns the use of hospitals and civilians as human shields by Hamas." The statement continues, "The EU emphasizes that international humanitarian law stipulates that hospitals, medical supplies and civilians inside hospitals must be protected." There is a contr…