I thank the Minister. He will probably agree that it requires political courage to make some of these decisions because the pressure is very much towards reacting to what we see around us rather than the long term. I was reminded of the of the courage of the late Séamus Brennan, a Minister in the 2007 to 2011 Government, who decided to reopen the Galway to Limerick railway line. At the time, many naysayers were of the view that it was a total white elephant and would never be used. Now, there is standing room only …

I express my sympathy to John Bruton's family and of course to the Fine Gael Party nationally, but also the Fine Gael Party in Meath. To my colleague on the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action, Richard Bruton, I formally extend the sympathies of the committee on the sad passing of his brother. I recall a story from my youth some 30 years ago. I remember being intensely jealous of my brother when my father brought him to a Shannon-Garryowen rugby match in Limerick. I was doubly jealous when my brother,…

First, I thank the Minister of State for coming into the Chamber to take this Topical Issue. I know that the Minister of State has a particular interest in transport and rural transport because I saw the efforts that he made three-and-a-half years ago in the programme for Government negotiations, which went right down to the wire because of his insistence on providing transport for rural Ireland. I know he is particularly interested in this subject. However, I have to say I am very disappointed that neither the Min…

I thank the Minister of State for the answer prepared by the Department of Education. We have been hearing about this review for a long time and we know the system is not working. Multiple systems are working in parallel but are not efficient. What is happening in Pallaskenry is a microcosm of the wider problem, notwithstanding that number of students represents a small percentage of the total. It is a microcosm of the inefficacy throughout the system. I expect the review to show it is inefficient and needs to be f…

The Minister is very familiar with the issue of LDA development in my home city and county of Limerick. There was much excitement and enthusiasm in Limerick when we initially heard of the plans for Colbert Station. However, there are concerns locally at the slow pace of delivery and a watering down of the ambition. It is important the Minister hears those concerns but my concern is separate from them. It is that it seems there is no plan beyond Colbert. We have a very ambitious transport strategy now in Limerick. T…

I agree quite a bit with the spirit of the amendment. It speaks to what we envisaged at the outset when we considered what this new office was going to be for Limerick on foot of the plebiscite. I reiterate that Limerick alone opted to have a directly elected mayor, whereas Cork and Waterford, which also had the opportunity, chose not to pursue this possibility. Limerick did so on the basis of quite little information. There was a notion at the time of what a directly elected mayor would be. The Minister of State's…

May I speak to amendment No. 22 then?

I will not need much latitude. I accept that the Minister of State has looked at this closely with his team. It was an attempt to make sure that the delegation of the previous mayor would not carry through automatically to the next mayor. The Minister of State has satisfactorily explained that this would not be the case. I accept his explanation and thank him for it.

There is a fundamental question about where the balance lies in the local authority between the mayor, in selecting his or her team, and the director general, and who has the dominant power. Amendment No. 15 is in my name. On Committee Stage, the Minister indicated that he felt the director general should have that power and that any powers relating to the human resources function would rest with the director general. That has been understood. I acknowledge Deputy Sherlock's point that this is a political position.…

I agree with the sentiment expressed by Deputy Sherlock regarding overcautiousness, although I would say it is cautiousness. We cannot necessarily say at this point that it is overcautiousness because we are moving into somewhat uncharted territory. We have to respect that. The review mechanism after three years, notwithstanding Deputy McNamara's scepticism, is useful. In my short time in this House, I have seen reviews go through and be very effective. The review mechanism here is a very valid one. A debate should…

I move amendment No. 23: In page 20, between lines 20 and 21, to insert the following: “ “Limerick-Shannon metropolitan area transport strategy” means the strategy which sets out the framework for the delivery of the transport system of the Limerick-Shannon metropolitan area;”. We had this discussion on Committee Stage and I want to have it again with the Minister of State. It merits further discussion. I will not be pressing these amendments, but I submitted them out of a real and genuine concern that by not provi…

I have said what I need to say.

I commend the Minister for bringing the Bill to the House. It is certainly a mammoth piece of work that, as Deputy Matthews said, will have a generational impact because we will be living with the consequences, good or bad, of this Bill for many years to come. I hope the Minister has got it right. Getting it right is critical because if we want to create a healthy, happy and thriving society, one that provides opportunity for ourselves, our children and grandchildren, planning is critical to that. I hope the Bill i…

Yesterday we got news that the Adare bypass will go ahead and be supported by Government and development will be accelerated. The news was welcomed in most quarters. It makes sense to have the Ryder Cup as the deadline for construction of this project but it is not the only reason to do this. The project will provide ongoing benefit to west Limerick and the south west of the country and allow Adare to breathe again, which is important. A more beneficial project, which is equally deserving of Government priority and…

Is Deputy Matthews first?

I will make one point that will perhaps provide some balance. Deputy Wynne might disagree with me on this. I will talk about the Limerick City constituency and why we should challenge the idea that the constituencies should align with county boundaries. Limerick and Waterford cities are situated on the county boundaries and extend into other counties. Perhaps I am in agreement with Deputy Danny Healy-Rae who said it does not make sense to divide Rathmore, which is on the Cork-Kerry border on the Blackwater river. N…

Go raibh maith agat. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle might give me an indication when there is one minute remaining. I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I note the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, had to leave and that the Minister, Deputy Ryan, is coming later, but I welcome the opportunity to speak to a Government colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, on this. It is important the three parties in Government are thinking the same way with respect to road safety. The Minister of State,…

I pay tribute to the Chair and Vice Chair of the disability matters committee for their work in leading this report and to the members for their contributions, as well as the secretariat staff who worked very hard to put this together. As a recent member of the committee, I take no credit for the report or its recommendations. It would not be appropriate for me to claim credit, but I am a very proud member of the committee and it is an honour to work with very dedicated and passionate members from Government and Op…

Two major parts of the solution to climate change are switching to rail transport and promoting it as much as possible and developing district heating systems in our towns and cities. Both solutions require appropriate development densities that are much higher than is the norm in this country. As well as being an important element of tackling climate, higher density, when done right, lends itself to healthier and more thriving communities and better supports business, schools and other public services. Does the Tá…

Everybody in this House should be, and I believe, is appalled and repulsed by the attacks on civilians by Hamas militants earlier this month. We can only try to imagine the horror of those innocents in their final minutes and hours. Indiscriminate murder, torture and violence should play no part in the pursuit of freedom and self-determination. The wrongs, subjugation and brutality do not justify it. To make an equivocation on this point is to descend to the level of the terrorists. We should have nothing but utter…