I also welcome this Bill. It is important that such mechanisms are in place to support businesses throughout the country. I commend the work of the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, and his colleagues in the Department on the many pro-enterprise measures they are implementing and the supports they are providing. It is a very difficult time for businesses at the moment, with the cost of business in particular being a massive challenge, among others, but Bills like this are a help and part of the suite of measures …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Ceann Comhairle. Last week, there was an historic day for the people of County Kerry with the signing by President Higgins of the posthumous pardon in respect of Sylvester Poff and James Barrett, who were hanged for a murder they did not commit back in 1883. Their bodies were buried in Ballymullen Barracks in Tralee, which is still in the ownership of our Defence Forces, and there is nothing to mark the graves of these men whose innocence has now been recognised by the State. I ask on behal…

I want to ask the Taoiseach about the Farranfore to Lissyviggeen N22 road scheme, the Killarney outer bypass scheme. Traffic congestion in and around Killarney town is now a serious issue. On the doors at the weekends, the issue is constantly coming up. People are very frustrated with the time it takes now to travel in and around Killarney. During my time in politics, this has proven to be one of the most frustrating issues I have dealt with. Unfortunately, I am leaving at a time when it has not been progressed. I …

I acknowledge some of the very positive measures included in the budget to assist small and medium-sized enterprises and particularly hospitality businesses and retail businesses. However, I also point out that these businesses are facing enormous difficulties with their cost bases at the moment. We had a major protest on the streets of Dublin here today from many people involved in those businesses who are finding it really difficult to do business at the moment and whose future survival requires further intervent…

Will the Government reverse the decision whereby former HSE workers who returned to work in the public sector have their pensions abated or reduced? I have seen a number of situations in my constituency, and I am sure it is the same around the country, involving workers who returned to help out with the Covid effort, for example by administering vaccines or, especially in south Kerry, helping with the south Kerry CAMHS situation, now facing major repayment bills totalling up to five figures and well above that in s…

Bus Éireann, as the Tánaiste may be aware, does not allow drivers aged over 70 to operate on its school routes or passenger services. Other private operators can do this safely. In the area I come from, we have many companies operating school services on behalf of Bus Éireann which are having difficulty finding drivers, yet we have many people aged 70 or slightly older who want to drive the school buses but are not permitted to do so. We know lots of people of that age who are in great condition. It is not like it …

Will the Taoiseach provide an update on the sports capital programme to the House? I welcome the recent allocations for sports capital equipment. It is great news for many communities and for the volunteers in sports clubs around the country. There seems to be a bit of confusion, however. There was a list detailing amounts and club names circulating online yesterday. On closer inspection, it seems it was a list of the amounts sought rather than the proposed allocations. Will the Taoiseach provide clarity to the Hou…

This question relates to Defence Forces personnel who worked in Covid testing and vaccination centres during the pandemic. Many of these people worked in these centres for 12 to 16 months and provided a very valuable resource but they have not been considered for the pandemic recognition payment. This is wrong. Can the matter be reviewed? Some specific personnel did great work but did not get the payment and that is very unfair.

Perhaps, on foot of this question, the Tánaiste might initiate a review. My understanding is that all members were initially on lists created by their units but that those lists were not fully accepted at a higher level. Apparently, the criteria specified that only those military personnel who were physically administering vaccines or taking swabs would ultimately receive the payment. The people who were not picked up included those who spent more than a year directing traffic through centres at Defence Forces site…

Further people involved include those directly in contact with the healthcare workers on site. Patient transfer teams were not considered. These people did similar jobs to people in ambulance teams bringing people for tests who needed to be transported. For example, the Tralee testing centre was manned by military personnel for 12 to 16 months, including Christmas and all public holidays. I was in there many times with family members and for tests myself. It was an efficient operation and the Tánaiste would be prou…

I wish to raise the rising cost of home insurance. Several people in County Kerry contacted me recently about soaring premiums. This is happening at a time when insurance companies are reporting soaring profits as well. I accept there is inflation in terms of construction and the cost of replacing damaged properties. However, from what I have seen and the evidence that has been presented to me by people in County Kerry who are renewing their premiums, the rises far outweigh any inflationary pressures that would be …

I thank the Minister for her response. I want to raise with her a matter that Tommy Griffin, our candidate in the Corca Dhuibhne electoral area, raised with me. He did a detailed analysis of the LIS figures per county per annum. He established that the council in Mayo, which has marginally more finance, has done 549 roads since 2018. Kerry received slightly less funding, but it was still only able to do 194. Unless the roads in Mayo are way shorter and narrower than those in Kerry, there seems to be something wrong…

I welcome the recent allocation of funding nationwide. I particularly welcome the funding for Kerry because is very badly needed. I again call on the Minister, Deputy Ryan, if he is watching, to put some money on the table for the LIS from his Department's budget. He has plenty of money in that budget. I wish to emphasise some of the figures that Tommy Griffin gave me. I think this matter warrants further scrutiny by the Minister. In the past four years in Kerry, 73 roads were completed for €4.9 million. The averag…

They would want to be very long.

I thank the Tánaiste for his leadership over the past two years on the issue of Ukraine, as Taoiseach and as Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs. I ask him to provide an update on the outlook for 2024 in terms of the conflict and the implications for Ireland. I also ask him to provide an update on upcoming events in Europe in respect of the conflict in Ukraine.

I thank the Tánaiste for his reply. I also welcome the forthcoming summit, which is important. Whether anything meaningful will arise from it is yet to be seen but all possible efforts must be made. I ask the Tánaiste to elaborate on Ireland's position on the use of seized Russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine. Does he believe that those assets should be sold or should interest from those assets be used? Certainly, we know there is a huge amount of money involved. I also ask the Tánaiste for his views on the ef…

I welcome all such moves. They are all heading in the right direction but the question is whether enough is being done. The question of using the revenue generated rather than realising the full value of assets needs to be revisited. The EU also needs to co-ordinate with other world leaders in terms of a response to this. This is one of the most horrendous conflicts in human history, not to mention our lifetime. Of course, psychopathic leaders like Vladimir Putin will stop at nothing. It is always someone else's ch…

First, I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, for his recent visit to Kerry to announce the purchase of lands for the new national park. It is welcome. On that issue, I raise the case of Inch beach in the locality where I live. For many years, I have been advocating for the purchase of public lands to include a traffic management plan for the beach, for the sustainable expansion of car parking and for the provision of public conveniences. There was a master plan and funding was announced for Inch in November…

Residents of the Bog Road in Callinafercy, Milltown, have been waiting to have their road improved for years. The road is quite dangerous. It has subsided in places and the surface is very poor. I would say it has to be done urgently. The reason that it has not been done to date by Kerry County Council is that Uisce Éireann says the water mains have to be replaced before the road can be resurfaced. However, I received correspondence from Uisce Éireann yesterday to say that even though these works have been promised…

RTÉ workers are protesting outside the gates of Leinster House this lunchtime over the issue of bogus self-employment. This is an issue I have raised with the Taoiseach and here in the Chamber on a number of occasions. A total of 396 workers were let go by RTÉ after the Eversheds review. Based on the figures provided to me here last week by the Taoiseach, 297 of those workers would have been employees at the time they were dismissed. What steps is the Government taking to redress the rights of those employees? This…