I congratulate the Minister, Deputy Burke, and Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, on their recent appointments. I wish them the very best during their tenure. The Minister of State, Deputy Calleary, has been there all along and I wish him continued success as well. This question is a very serious one related to the reduced footfall in towns such as Killarney resulting from displacement for emergency accommodation purposes. What can be done to compensate and support businesses in those scenarios and, similarly, in o…

I appreciate the Minister's response and the many measures being taken to address the difficulties facing many businesses throughout the country. All of those measures are very welcome. It all helps. I am speaking as a representative of the people of County Kerry where tourism accounts for a significant portion of overall economic activity. Fáilte Ireland's figure of 12%, for example, would be higher in Kerry. We have taken a huge number of refugees and people seeking international protection. This is coming off th…

I thank the Minister. I welcome and encourage that engagement with industry and the representative bodies in particular. The Minister is very welcome to come to Kerry at any stage and engage with the operators on the ground. He has been very good in the past in coming to the county and meeting people. They have always been very impressed with him and he has always responded, which is really important and appreciated. It would also be welcome if he could do that throughout the business sector because it is from the …

I congratulate the Taoiseach on his election to the office he holds. I wish him well for the future. This is my first opportunity to do so. You know you are getting old when the Taoiseach is younger than you. I will raise a serious matter. As the Taoiseach may be aware, bogus self-employment has been a serious problem affecting workers at RTÉ for a long time. In some cases, it has dragged on for decades for people. Meanwhile, people find themselves in stressful scenarios, such as RTÉ dragging them through lengthy p…

First and foremost, I thank the Tánaiste and the excellent team in his office for their assistance with many urgent passport renewal cases over the years. People who find themselves in that predicament appreciate the helpful response he gives which has helped many people to rescue their travel plans that would otherwise have been lost. It is April and many people are thinking about their holidays. I will ask about two matters that relate to passport renewals. First, has there been any progress on giving notificatio…

It would be helpful if there was a one-day turnaround in Cork as well.

Today marks the end of an era. As a member of Fine Gael, I thank the Taoiseach for everything he has done for our party and for our country through his leadership over the past seven years. People do not really see the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes and the huge personal sacrifice that goes into the job of leadership. The Taoiseach has done that with distinction. I wish him every happiness and health in the future. As a wise Cork man said to me one time, this is not a dress rehearsal we only get one …

In 20 seconds, I raise the very serious matter of rates revaluation letters arriving in businesses throughout Kerry at the moment. I know there are winners and losers with these revaluations. However, in some cases people have been notified of a 500% increase in their rates bills. This is just not sustainable and these businesses will close. Can there be an intervention to ensure these people will not have to pay these astronomical rates?

On Friday people around the country will go to the polls. I encourage everyone to exercise their franchise on Friday. From 2 p.m. tomorrow, a moratorium will kick in for radio and television broadcasts but social media will continue right up to the close of polls. This is a period of 32 hours when our reliable news sources are effectively gagged, but the wild west - that is, social media - can continue to put out any sort of information without anyone having the opportunity to use our established radio and televisi…

The Minister has been a good friend of County Kerry since taking office. He has made numerous trips there and shown massive interest in his portfolio as it relates to the county, which is very welcome. What are the plans to redevelop the former Pretty Polly site in Killarney? What is the up-to-date position on that?

What is the up-to-date position on the work of the wool commission? What is happening there? A number of people in my constituency have been in touch with me regarding various business ideas. They are looking for information as to how best to proceed. What information is available from the State and the Department on potential uses for wool in new businesses?

I thank the Minister of State for the update. I encourage all efforts to ensure the wool council is a success. I acknowledge the support from the Department by way of seed funding. I especially acknowledge the fact it is an all-island body. That is very welcome here, as it is in every aspect of life. I have spoken to a number of farmers and people living in rural communities in Kerry who want to explore various ideas for other uses that could be found for wool other than the more traditional uses. There seems to be…

I thank the Minister of State for the information. I appreciate it.

This question relates to farm safety. What initiatives are currently planned? Will the Minister provide an update on current initiatives, how they are working and how they are being reviewed?

I thank the Minister of State for his very comprehensive response. I appreciate all the efforts that are being made. He is in a difficult situation in that the number of lives saved will never be known, but he can take it and accept, due to these initiatives, that lives are saved. Naturally, we do not ever hear about that but it is critical that all efforts are maintained and intensified. Every single death is one too many. I sympathise with everybody who has lost someone on a farm, whether recently or in the past.…

All those initiatives are very important. I am glad the Minister of State mentioned mental health as it is something that particularly deserves attention and focus. It is a very worthy effort and expenditure that the Department is embarking on in that area because it is critically important. In the past, I remember television was a medium used for farm safety promotions and various other initiatives. Is that something that could again be looked at? With social media, there are ways to target your audience in a very…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for his discretion. I acknowledge the Tánaiste's leadership on the issue of Ukraine as Taoiseach and now as Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs. As he knows, Saturday will mark two years since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. What more can Ireland do? There has been an excellent political, humanitarian, practical and diplomatic response. What more can we do at this stage? It is at a critical juncture. Ukraine needs more support, militarily, in particular. We are tied, to a degre…

I concur with previous speakers. I thank the Minister for her work on this.

No, not about the mouldy bread, although I think that is how penicillin was discovered. There might be some upsides to it. Big pharma in Waterford might develop a new drug. I thank the Minister for being so proactive in this. I was just doing the mathematics. I am not a mathematician, but break downing the €2.1 million servicing 34 schools in County Kerry where 3,854 children are benefiting, it works out at approximately €15 per week per child. That is a very small amount in the context of what the State spends but…

I thank the Minister for her comprehensive response on the previous question. This question relates to the expansion of child benefit to over-18s in full-time education. Will the Minister outline the changes to the House and address in particular what the technical response will be to people who turn 18 before 1 May of this year?