This question seeks to ascertain the current position in relation to sporting and other grants under the various headings mentioned, the degree to which cognisance will be taken of the need in each case, and how soon.

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply, especially on new initiatives and the degree to which the Department is assisting in the development of facilities needed by communities in all areas. I ask about the extent to which the scoring will be influenced by increased populations, particularly with respect to areas that have experienced major increases in population in recent years. I am thinking of my constituency, which is not an unnatural thing to do in this House. I also ask about swimming pool…

I thank the Minister and the Minister of State for a very comprehensive layout of the proposals. The point I will mention in passing is that due to the hold-up during Covid, many clubs had work in hand that they were not able to complete. A provision has already been made in relation to that. Will it be borne in mind that there may still be a number of clubs that have not been able to complete their works in accordance with their original plans? Will some consideration be given to their particular plight?

This question relates to the extent to which measures are likely to be put in place to assist the tourism sector arising from the hiccups that have taken place over the past number of years such as Covid and the extent to which hotel space has had to be devolved other areas.

I thank the Minister for that comprehensive reply. I ask if it might be possible to do an audit of the hotel space available in County Kildare and other midland counties with a view to ensuring the maximum bed space is available to accommodate tourists to encourage them to avail of the opportunity of visiting those constituencies. This is not to suggest that other temporary occupants of hotel bed spaces be discommoded but that alternative ways and means be found so that both sides can prosper and can avail of maxim…

I congratulate the new Minister and Minister of State, and the renewed Minister of State as well, and wish them every good fortune and support in their tenure. I wish to ask a simple question. There appears to be strong evidence to the effect that many businesses are affected by a multiplicity of regulations imposed upon them and are having difficulty. Recently, a small business brought to my attention the fact that it had to raise an extra €250,000 before ever starting work as a result of the many regulations that…

I am in support. I emphasise the point being made to me, and I am sure everybody else as well, is the time taken to administer all the available assistance. What used to be contained in a single page now goes to 29 pages, which takes time.

I raise again the issue of the use of parental alienation in family law in this country. It continues apace and results in the exclusion of children and parents from the family home with the clear objective of winning the case by using a legal formula that is not the creation of this House but that of case law. In many cases, parents, mostly mothers, are prevented from seeing or speaking to their children, other than by telephone. This is an appalling situation in which no regard is being shown for the welfare of t…

Indeed it is and I thank the Ceann Comhairle for affording me the opportunity to raise this particularly important issue for north Kildare and for the country. It is important for the protection of the national interests in the arts, the preservation of great houses, for the history of the area and for the need to ensure that whatever happens around Castletown House has the full support of the local population. They have supported this heretofore, and continue to support this, despite the fact the response coming f…

The Ceann Comhairle and the Minister of State can understand the frustration of local public representatives because everything is answered except the question that is fundamental to the issue, that is, how to restore the access that was there before September last. At that time, some of us put forward the idea of seeking an interim injunction to state the case for the State to access its lands freely and at will. We were told that would not be successful and that the legal advice was wrong. The OPW had enough advi…

That is what I am trying to do. We will be visiting this site again.

The difficulty in accessing new cancer-treating drugs in this country from time to time has already been raised this morning in this House and in other locations. It was already mentioned by Deputy Doherty in the House. Will the Tánaiste use his good offices with the European Commission to ensure the attributes of the Single Market are made available, which they are entitled to be, in this country as in every other country in the EU? There should not be differentiation on the basis of different countries. Each terr…

Hear, hear.

We are endeavouring to get everybody in, as this is a very important subject from the point of view of sufferers and families. As we will do so, that means we have to curtail the time a little in each case from here on. I call Deputy Martin Kenny.

I am loath to interrupt but we have to try to get everybody in.

We know that, but the Deputy has knowledge of this serious subject. We try to accommodate everybody insofar as possible. We will now try to accommodate Deputy Buckley.

I compliment all involved on a very interesting and sensitive debate, which was needed. I also compliment them on the manner in which it was dealt with. I recognise the efforts made by all of the people involved to identify and empathise with the families and the sufferers themselves. Incidentally, somebody made reference to the Upper House and the Lower House. This is the Upper House. We are not in the United States, where the other House is the Upper House.

I move: That Dáil Éireann: (1) notes the agreed Report of the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach under Standing Order 133 on the following proposal: Proposal for a DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL establishing harmonised requirements in the internal market on transparency of interest representation carried out on behalf of third countries and amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937, which was laid before Dáil Éireann on 28th February, 2024 in accordance with St…

In Celbridge in my constituency, the local hotel is where refugees have been located for the past number of years. There had never been an incident but unfortunately there was an incident last week, which was totally unrelated to anything happening at the location, and was obviously done deliberately to cause trouble. I have received quite a number of calls from local people who are concerned about the proposal whereby the people located there at the moment have been told that the contract is up, that they must mov…

I will forego the introduction and await the reply.