It is shameful that, as the motion notes, "hospital waiting lists now stand at 888,000 patients, with more than 500,000 people waiting longer than the Sláintecare targets ... and with more than 225,000 people waiting for a diagnostic scan". From a reply to a parliamentary question that I received on this matter, I know that the Department of Health is working with the HSE and the NTPF to identify ways to improve access to care. Clearly, however, this is not happening at sufficient scale. We need to see: an urgent r…

Insím don Aire gur mhaith liom mo thacaíocht a thabhairt don rún seo atá curtha os ár gcomhair ar maidin ag an nGrúpa Neamhspleách agus is rún oiriúnach agus fíorthábhachtach é. This motion rightly acknowledges that MAUs play an integral role in ED avoidance and that LIUs deliver efficient, expert treatment to tens of thousands of patients with minor injuries every year. There is clearly something profoundly wrong with how our health system functions. I have been making the point for years that one of the key issue…

The findings of the CSO survey are, in many respects, deeply depressing, particularly for women and girls. They reveal a culture and society plagued by sexual violence, even at the upper end of the scale in terms of rape and non-consensual sexual contact. The survey also reveals that as a society, we have a long way to go in terms of normalising the reporting of non-consensual sexual experiences by men. It is striking that only 5% of men reported such experiences over the course of their lifetime. Returning to the …

As the saying goes, there are few certainties in life apart from death and taxes, but perhaps we could revise that and add the dysfunctional Irish planning system. For how long have we been debating this issue in these Houses? I recall standing here more than two years ago debating the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2021, which was meant to address some of the very issues we are again here debating today. Indeed, we have seen over recent years that regardless of what laws these Houses put in place, nothi…

Tugaim tacaíocht don leasú atá os ár gcomhair maidir leis an rialálaí. Tá sé fíorthábhachtach go bhfuil an Ghaeilge in úsáid, chomh fada is féidir, i ngach Bille nuair a thagann sé os ár gcomhair. Nuair atá deis ann leagan Gaeilge a úsáid ba chóir dúinn an deis sin a thapú. Tugaim mo thacaíocht iomlán d'úsáid leagan Gaelach don rialálaí sa Bhille seo. Tá súil agam go mbeidh níos mó deiseanna againn chun níos mó Gaeilge a chur isteach i mBillí eile chomh maith.

I thank the Taoiseach for his response. I understand and we all know there is a war, but the fact of the matter is that Ireland is an outlier in Europe in terms of the reliance on hotel, bed and breakfast and guesthouse beds. We are different. Why are we so different? Why have other countries adopted a more sensible approach and protected their local economies more than we have? That is the fact of the matter. I am by no means setting out this as a division in terms of being a rural-urban issue, but I am a rural De…

A county-by-county comparison complied by Nursing Homes Ireland has shown clearly that there are significant price differentials between private and HSE-run nursing homes. The extensive analysis reveals that, for example, in County Offaly the price per week of a HSE nursing home as of January was €1,959 while private nursing home fees were over €900 less, starting at €1,009. In County Laois, the situation is even more striking. HSE nursing homes there are charging an average of €2,585 per week compared with €1,039 …

It would be wrong to dismiss any potential safety issues associated with E10 fuel as being caused by a lack of maintenance. That is the wrong approach. Can this matter be looked into? If there are safety issues, it is serious. Certainly, the information I have to hand suggests the move to E10 petrol will put people's lives in danger. My correspondent who works in the motor industry tells me they have been advised to use the UK checker to see whether a car is compatible with E10 fuel. For example, it is advised that…

I am sharing time. I fully support the motion and, in particular, the call to introduce an integrated transport system for people with disabilities and their carers, a scheme that would ensure flexible arrangements, the provision of funding and a comprehensive transport support scheme to replace the mobility allowance and the motorised transport grant as a priority. In my constituency, there are a lot of problems with the primary medical certificate. The criteria are one thing, but the delays in decisions being rea…

I welcome the debate on this Bill. It contains some practical and worthwhile changes to the current regime. The emphasis of the Bill is also a welcome leap forward in that many of its sections are pragmatic and more reflective of where people are at as regards skills and the need to maintain safety as a key component of work on a construction or quarry site. In this respect, I note sections 24 to 33 which deal with the establishment of a licensing model for workers based on an assessment of competence to replace th…

Electricity and energy prices continue to financially cripple families and businesses throughout this State. This is happening despite a quantifiable drop in natural gas prices, which determine electricity costs. Electricity companies have not acted. I acknowledge that the Government has provided some measures to families to help cushion the blow. However, given that the Government is a 96% shareholder in the ESB, it is unacceptable that it continues to charge extremely high prices. Will the Government bring in the…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an díospóireacht ar an mBille seo, Bille na hOidhreachta, Stairiúla agus Seandálaíochta, 2023, atá os ár gcomhair. I find myself in the somewhat unusual position of agreeing with a Green Party Minister. That is particularly the case having reviewed what the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, said about the Bill in the Seanad. During the Minister of State's contribution, it was noted clearly that: Irish heritage is the foundation stone of our society... At a national level, it is a source of great…

I welcome the opportunity to reflect briefly on the Good Friday Agreement. I will also take this opportunity to commend the work of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, which has done some interesting work in this area. It is particularly worth highlighting the committee's report and its assessment of the legacy of the Troubles on victims. The committee has noted that in most of its sessions, it sought the views of witnesses and spoke about the treatment of victims. Members also e…

Today, as has been mentioned, Macra na Feirme came to Leinster House and launched its campaign, Steps for our Future. I commend each of their members. They are young farmers fighting for their futures. I, and many others, believe that we need to get to grips with the issue of generational renewal. The reason that has become such an issue and many people have been put off going into farming is there is not enough confidence that they will have a future and a viable and sustainable income from farming. Many of them a…

It is not just the Rural Independent Group that is saying farmers are very concerned. Deputy McNamara and many others on this side of the House are saying it too, as, I am sure, are members of the Minister's party and other parties in government. Macra na Feirme does not often organise marches. It is only when it has a genuine case, an urgent need arises or an obstacle occurs that we see its members gathering outside Leinster House. They are here because they are worried about their futures. They need to have confi…

Tá áthas orm deis a fháil labhairt ar an rún seo a bhfuil bunaithe ar théama an chostais maireachtála. Tá géarghá don Rialtas rudaí a chur i bhfeidhm chomh luath is féidir agus gníomhachtaí a chur i bhfeidhm chun cabhair a thabhairt do theaghlaigh ar fud an Stát. I support the motion to introduce targeted and temporary mortgage interest relief to support homeowners facing significant increases in their mortgage costs. The entire area of mortgage law and the capacity of vulture funds to act with apparent impunity is…

I raise the need to reopen Garda stations and increase the operational hours of stations in areas in which there has been a growth in population. In my constituency, Laois-Offaly, the number of probationary gardaí has only gone from nine to 16 between 2015 and 2023. Many towns in the constituency, including Kilcormac, Banagher and Kinitty, need to see more operational hours in the Garda stations. There has been an increase in population, so obviously there has also been an increase in crime. We must ensure the Gard…

Efforts to develop new international market opportunities for the sheep sector will not be worth the paper they are written on if urgent action is not taken to secure the viability of the sector here at home. One of the explicit goals of Food Vision 2030 is securing market access and diversifying trade and market opportunities at home and abroad for Irish farmers. However, many of the sheep farmers I am engaging with are rapidly losing faith in their capacity to respond to any opportunities that may arise simply be…

Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil le Páirtí an Lucht Oibre as an rún seo atá os ár gcomhair inniu. I recently submitted a parliamentary question to the Minister regarding the Kolbe Special School in my constituency. The Minister said the Government's immediate priority is to cater for requirements for September 2023. I was also informed that the Department is engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform on capital funding pressures in order to continue to be abl…

I wish to ask the Tánaiste, in his role as Minister for Defence, to set out what efforts are being made to implement the working time directive. What is being done to address the serious and legitimate concerns of serving personnel regarding the implementation of the directive? They are concerned that military management and the Department of Defence are seeking significant exemptions from the directive. What is happening in that area? What actions is the Tánaiste taking?