I have not done that. When did I do that? I am asking questions on behalf of my constituents.

I have not done that. I asked a genuine honest question.

Can I please know about the plan because my constituents in Laois-Offaly are asking me? I am sure when the Taoiseach visits the constituency he will be asked as well.

If he responds directly. I will not sit here listening to nonsense.

Just 61.

The Alzheimer's Society of Ireland has highlighted the fact that there is a growing number of people with dementia. There are now 64,000 people, which is an increase from the previous figure of 54,000. The society also highlighted the need for more funding, urgent and adequate funding, to address the gaps in support services in communities. Many communities and families are without essential basic services. There are too many gaps in the services where people are forced into nursing homes, although they would prefe…

That is why I was asking. There are gaps. That is why I asked.

It is hard to overstate the level of disconnect which appears to exist between what the Government believes it is doing for rural Ireland and what people on the ground in rural Ireland are actually experiencing. For decades we have talked about balanced regional development to take away some of the imbalance between rural, urban and city economies. When we look at job creation, we see an Offaly where there were just four visits by IDA Ireland in 2022. If we are serious about creating jobs in a county that has seen …

I welcome and support the Bill which aims to prohibit the sale of nicotine-inhaling products to anyone under the age of 18 years and to prohibit the self-service sale of tobacco products and nicotine-inhaling products such as those for vaping. Purely in the interests of formulating a harm reduction policy that actually works, I point the Minister of State to the evidence presented by Respect Vapers, a grassroots coalition representing vapers in Ireland. This organisation points out that vaping is not smoking; it is…

I commend the work of our firefighters, and the firefighters in my constituency of Laois-Offaly who work day and night to ensure the safety of so many people and who save lives. What is happening to our firefighters is absolutely shameful. Years of calls for reform and for improvements around the recruitment and retention issues have pushed these dedicated public servants to the edge, resulting in the almost unprecedented threat of an all-out public strike later this month. I commend and welcome the statement by Of…

As already mentioned, and as the Minister will be aware, carers do fantastic work. There is no doubt about that. I believe that every Deputy in the House would agree with that statement. Carers save the State €20 billion every year, in addition to the fantastic work they do. Family Carers Ireland supports some 500,000 carers across the State. That is not enough, however, in the context of supports. That organisation is fantastic. I attended the launch of its Heart of Gold campaign last Thursday. We need more suppor…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important Bill that is in line with the commitment in the programme for Government to criminalise adults who groom children to commit crimes. Grooming children in any sense is absolutely despicable. To use them and exploit them for criminal, sexual or commercial gain is a crime that cries out to heaven and has to be condemned in the strongest terms. Indeed, as our Lord once said, if anyone harms one of these little ones, it would be better for them to have a millstone thro…

I welcome members of the IFA and ICSA from counties Offaly and Westmeath who are present for this debate. This is a very serious issue, as the Minister knows. There are well-founded concerns because he has not agreed with the calls for an impact assessment to be carried out. That request is reasonable. There are big calls for written assurances from Bord na Móna, which is a reasonable ask. Reference has been made in the Chamber to scaremongering and everything else. It is incumbent on us as Deputies to be responsib…

I will be brief. This is an issue I have spoken about a number of times in the Chamber. My concern is that the responsible persons are not being recognised as the qualified people they are in the proposed changes. In regard to animal welfare, the North operates a different system than that which will operate here in respect of veterinary medicines. Farmers may go to the North and get veterinary medicines on the black market. That gives rise to questions of animal welfare. The responsible person was always the first…

The principle behind this Bill is sound in that it brings about additional motivation to ensure people have timely access to our courts and, where this does not happen, to provide for compensation through the office of a newly appointed chief court delays assessor and court delays assessors. However, we have similar legislation in other areas of Irish law and it has not worked out so well in practice. An Bord Pleanála has a statutory duty under section 126 of the Planning and Development Act to ensure every appeal …

As the Minister of State will be aware, the recommendations contained in the Report of the Citizens' Assembly on Biodiversity Loss have not been met with universal approval despite the glow and spin that has been given to them. That also comes within the context of fears around the mandatory rewetting of drained peat farmland and the annihilation of many farmers' capacity to sustain a livelihood on the land or to pass a farm onto the next generation. Only two weeks ago, I hosted a cross-party briefing on this very …

The measures in this Bill would see Irish abortion rates soar, as the most basic protections and safeguards are stripped away from the legislation. Meanwhile, there remains a chronic lack of supports available to women with unplanned pregnancies. We know the HSE's My Options service, which is touted by the Government, is nothing but a hotline to have an abortion. Women who ring it and ask for information about real, tangible supports, are met with a brick wall. Women who want pregnancy counselling, including a focu…

These are extremely important issues we are debating. All Members have heard from desperate parents and teachers throughout the country who are calling for access to basic services for children with disabilities and autism. I want to highlight in particular the four-year delay to works for an approved autism unit at St. Brendan's Community School in Birr, County Offaly in my constituency. I have made representations to the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, but I am aware there have been more delays and lack of …

I welcome this debate which we need to have if only to bring a small bit of realism to the subject. The motion refers to the policy statement on the framework for phase 2 offshore wind, and this includes the objective that 5 GW of offshore wind will be installed by 2030. This target, we are told, will contribute to the wider Government objective of achieving 80% renewable electricity and a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the end of this decade. That is all very well but as Kevin Collins of Pinsent Maso…

The time for straight talking on this issue is long overdue. The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, is an absolute disgrace. The Minister's arrogance and patronising stance towards communities is being remarked upon by Members of his own Government in briefings to the press almost every week that passes. Only this week, The Sunday Times relayed the story of how officials in the International Protection Office were aghast at his ridiculous decision to send out a twee…