I wish to raise the Road Safety Authority's, RSA, defective implementation of the EU certificate of professional competence, CPC, driver training directive and, in particular, its latest flawed initiative, namely, a biased heavy goods vehicle, HGV, driver safety survey that is deeply concerning for road safety and the future of the haulage industry.

I thank the Minister of State for taking this question and for his response. It is very disappointing to see that neither the Minister for Transport nor the Minister of State with responsibility for transport is here because there are serious issues around the RSA. Last month, the RSA commissioned Leeds Beckett University to carry out research on HGV driver safety. There are a number of issues with that survey, which I will highlight now. They planned to interview only 40 Irish HGV drivers, but the extraordinary th…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. May I come back?

Okay.

Parkinson's disease is the fastest-growing neurological condition in Ireland. Unfortunately, people are without supports in many counties. In my own county of Offaly, there is no neurologist, specialist nurse or team and people have to travel. It really shocked me that the HSE responded to a recent parliamentary question by telling me it has no idea of the number of people living with Parkinson's disease in County Offaly. I find that very concerning because if it does not know the level of need, how can it measure …

I welcome the core intention of the Guardianship of Infants (Amendment) Bill. Any measure that seeks to strengthen the legal framework for protecting our most vulnerable children from those who would do them harm deserves full support. The provisions aimed at safeguarding children from the influence of individuals guilty of major crimes, enhancing care orders, and promoting better interagency co-operation are, on paper, positive steps. We must always strive to put the welfare of the child first in our laws. However…

This Government's housing policy is not just a failure; it is outright betrayal of the Irish people. While Irish families are sleeping in their cars, or if they are lucky enough, in emergency accommodation, this Government has spent €9.2 million of taxpayers' money on accommodation for asylum seekers. Dozens and dozens of properties bought, no problem at all. That is real homes, real apartments and real three-bed houses being handed over to people who arrive here, often with no valid ID, no legitimate claim to asyl…

I will be opposing this Bill not merely on the grounds that I have profound conscientious difficulties and objections with the legislative intent driving it, but also because I sincerely believe that if it was implemented, it would represent an impoverished health policy that would fail to protect women and, of course, the lives of the unborn children that it will impact. In fact, it was on the basis of information released to me through numerous parliamentary questions that we can confirm that the three-day waitin…

I welcome the publication of Ireland's first national camera safety strategy. Any measure that reduces speeding and saves lives on our roads is certainly worth considering in a constructive manner. Across the country, thousands of schools and communities will breathe a sigh of relief when they hear this news because far too many parents have their hearts in their mouths sending their children to school every morning. Just yesterday, parents at Cloneyhurke National School contacted me with the shocking results of th…

Tá áthas orm labhairt ar an mBille seo inniu. The ESB, Ireland's own exaggerated prices, surpluses and bonuses board, has been charging households and businesses some of the highest energy prices in Europe while boasting about profits and posting record profits. It is obscene and extremely unfair on households and businesses that are struggling to survive and yet it goes on and on. That is partly why I am broadly in support of this Private Members' Bill, which offers a focused and practical measure that finally giv…

Last Friday Poland announced that it will file a complaint against the EU-Mercosur trade deal at the Court of Justice of the European Union. As I understand it, this is the first member state to take this step. This follows the European Parliament's earlier referral, which I welcomed as a rare victory for common sense and prudence. Irish beef farmers have been warning for years that this agreement threatens their livelihoods, our food standards and our national interest. Yet, Government opposition has too often loo…

I am delighted to speak this evening. As a rural TD, I have always strongly advocated for the haulage and agricultural sectors, which are interwoven in many respects. The recent protests were a sign that not only was the Government moving in the wrong direction, but it had completely taken its ear off the ground. You need listening skills at all times for effective communication. That effective communication was not there, hence the protests. I stood with many hard-working, decent and genuine people at the protests…

This risks being yet another exercise in performative consultation while rural Ireland continues to pay the price for the previous Government's failure to deliver. Launched in March 2021, the last rural development policy was full of grand promises of a thriving countryside, digital connectivity for all, revitalised towns and villages, enhanced public services and active support for a vibrant, sustainable agricultural sector. The policy has, instead, presided over a period of managed decline. High speed broadband r…

On 19 March, the European Council adopted conclusions that included the formal launch of the One Europe, One Market agenda. According to the official document, this initiative is designed to boost EU competitiveness, strategic autonomy, economic security and prosperity while preserving the European social model. The priorities set out are ambitious - deepening the four freedoms, removing internal barriers, simplifying rules, improving the recognition of professional qualifications and strengthening consumer and pro…

I support the motion, particularly its call to establish a time-bound school building task force with a mandate to ensure priority delivery of special schools, and indeed, special classes. As a former school principal and teacher with a masters degree in inclusive and special education, I fully recognise, and I have seen first hand, the invaluable and indispensable role that SNAs play in our schools throughout this State, particularly in preparing children in enabling them to access mainstream education, supporting…

Despite the fact that we are in the middle of a crippling fuel crisis where energy prices remain the highest in the EU, this Government continues to enforce a ban on the commercial sale of turf - our own natural, affordable fuel. As I said recently in my own constituency, there is no better time to reverse this ban. Rural communities in County Offaly and, indeed, across the midlands have relied on turf for generations. It is not just fuel; it is part of our culture and our heritage and for many families, it is the …

Go raibh maith agat, a Thaoisigh. I thank the Taoiseach for his response but I feel that a more practical common-sense approach is now needed. The real impact of this ban on the commercial sales of turf is people being cold in their homes. Older people have the ranges and they depend on fossil fuels like turf. When we look at the emissions, we are talking about imports coming in from Baltic states here, which is causing environmental issues. We are talking about a small number of people who want to extract peat and…

Having spoken to many farmers, there is deep scepticism about the Department of agriculture's capacity to deliver timely payments under the Government's €100 million fuel subsidy support scheme for farmers, agricultural contractors and fishermen and fisherwomen. The reason there is scepticism is that there were significant delays in payments under the agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, which left many farm families waiting months. I have seen one family left waiting a number of years for an ACRES payment…

At the fuel protests in Offaly, I was delighted to stand with my constituents, hard-working, decent people who have worked hard and are very frustrated. I met groups in Birr, Tullamore and Cloghan. Many self-employed people told me they just cannot keep going. Only today, I met a young businessperson who told me his business will be gone next week. This is shameful. The Government has neglected the working people of this country and squandered Irish taxpayers' money. When they want some of their own money back, the…

I welcome this Bill. It is certainly a long and overdue step that will allow Irish State bodies, serving and former members of An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces, civil servants and even former Ministers to give oral evidence before a High Court judge to assist the Omagh bombing inquiry. However, I want to be clear that this legislation arrives almost 28 years after the horror of August 1998 when 29 people, including a woman who was nine months pregnant and her unborn twins, were murdered in Omagh. For nearly…