I again raise the question of the so-called vulture funds that are proceeding at a rapid pace to repossess people's homes and businesses in a way not seen before. From their point of view, there is a great urgency to capitalise on the situation given that house prices and property prices are so high, even though the borrowers have kept up regular payments over a number of years. The lenders are now using obscure legislation to sell people's homes and businesses without having to go to court or to take any other mea…

Hear, hear.

Change the Minister.

Street violence.

In the aftermath of the situation that unveiled itself in the inner city in recent times, it falls upon us all in this House to put our support behind the Minister and behind the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána to ensure law and order remain central facets of our lives. If they do not, then turmoil follows. When Kristallnacht was in hand in the 1930s in central Europe the hard right and the hard left were on the streets protesting in common cause. Protesting against what? What it amounts to in this particular sit…

This question seeks to ascertain the extent to which the Minister intends to support, promote and offer assistance in any way possible to all sporting activities with a view to ensuring that investment there keeps pace with the ongoing requirement, and given the success of sporting activity, particularly with young people.

I thank the Minister of State for that reply. I will further inquire as to the extent to which he and his colleagues intend to extend to both urban and rural areas an even spread of sporting and recreational facilities with a view to ensuring that either urban or rural isolation does not become a problem and that there is an equal attraction in either location to attract and retain young people in their respective areas.

To what degree will it be possible to facilitate various sporting groups which found it impossible to meet their budgetary and construction requirements because of Covid and which may have shortfalls arising? To what extent will it be possible to offer them support in light of the pivotal nature of the works in many areas where there is an utter dependancy on the support and assistance the Department can offer? I ask this particularly in view of the success to date and the huge boost to sporting activity in urban a…

I have a similar supplementary question. Has the Minister noticed the extent to which pay TV seems to be introducing and forcing itself onto the airwaves? Sometimes when you scroll the channels, you get a start when you suddenly discover that you have to pay extra, along with the licence fee and all the other things, to look at certain programmes. To what extent is that likely to determine policy in the future?

I strongly support the sentiments expressed by the previous speakers and the need to ensure that everything can be turned into a positive if the right initiative is taken. As regards tourism and culture, there is a wealth of information and a wealth of sources out there in buildings, locations and historical activity that the local public and the international public are most interested in.

I echo the sentiments expressed by other speakers about utilising, to the greatest extent possible, the extensions of the western rail corridor to Sligo, which will cover a huge territory. In the interim, a survey could be carried out of the obstacles that are currently present. Bridges are being realigned and I agree with Deputy Ó Cuív that they are being realigned wrongly, because they are public rights of way which have been established for many years. To curtail them now would be wrong, but to curtail them into…

This question relates to one of the most rapidly expanding population centres in the country. It covers both the various commuter towns and the urgent necessity to ensure adequate capacity is urgently added to the train lines in question.

I thank the Minister. By way of a supplementary question, when is it expected that the impact of this provision will be visible and available to commuters who use the stations to which we already referred, those being, Maynooth, Leixlip Confey, Celbridge, Hazelhatch, Sallins and Newbridge? Right now, the traffic, made up of people who are ordinarily ready to accept the use of rail services, is being forced onto the roads, which are heavily over-trafficked and in need of upgrading. To what extent is progress being m…

The Minister understands this very well. The people in the catchment area involved understand it equally well. They are at the mercy of the traffic on the roads on the one hand and the shortage of capacity on the rail lines on the other hand. They are betwixt and between. It would be hugely helpful if the Minister were to use his good offices to follow up and to impress on those involved in the provision of the extra facilities the importance of doing so at a more rapid pace than we have seen heretofore. While the …

Once again I raise the continued persecution of many mothers and some fathers in the course of family law pursuits, in particular the use of the phrase "parental alienation" as a means of ensuring that only one side can win, which is a complete violation of the constitutional rights of mothers and fathers. The abuse continues apace, and I raise it once again because of the urgency of the situation. It cannot continue.

Which is promised.

That is right.

Our thoughts go out to the children and their carer who were so callously attacked a few days ago and left in a life-threatening condition. We should record the bravery with which passers-by reacted to the situation regardless of their own safety. They were prepared to help. That is the real spirit of Ireland. The real thinking people of Ireland are the ones who respond to the call of an emergency like that. In this House we expect a response of a similar nature. It disappointingly does not always come. We have to …

This question seeks to ascertain the extent to which the Minister of State can and has identified potential blockages to the onward progress of the national development plan, which should take precedence, and the extent to which he has identified proposals to remedy them.

I thank the Minister of State for that reply. Given the extensive nature of the national development plan, there are ample opportunities to slow down the plan depending on in whose interests it might be and there are ample opportunities to sidestep actions that might slow down the plan. The question to which I am seeking an answer is whether anybody has undertaken to identify those issues that do not clash with each other or impede the other and what action can be taken or has been taken to remove them from the rol…