The Minister is out of order.

No.

Why did the Government not abolish the USC, to which Fine Gael committed itself in its manifesto in 2016?

It is the truth.

Nobody is falling for this.

That is outrageous.

Broken promises as usual.

A few short weeks ago marked the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. As we know, it occurred on 30 January 1972. We know that British soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilians during a peaceful protest march in the Bogside area of Derry. It is a great community, a community which has shown true resilience despite the darkest of times and great suffering. I have visited the community on a number of occasions. All of the killings in the North were an atrocity, but Bloody Sunday stands out in many ways for the wrong reasons b…

I wish to raise the ongoing challenges presented by Ireland's planning laws, and in particular the problems that are being created in the area of planning in rural Ireland. The most recent high-profile incidence of this is the decision by the Supreme Court, rightly, to reject an application to have the proposed Glanbia factory project halted. Some of the Minister's Government colleagues have welcomed this Supreme Court decision, as have many others, including me and my Rural Independent Group colleagues, as a victo…

I thank the Minister for his response. I welcome that the Attorney General is examining the matter. I ask for urgency about it. We need to ensure that we have a robust, fair, balanced system in place as quickly as possible. I have seen first-hand in my own constituency that the delays are impeding investment and indeed could put off future investment coming into Laois-Offaly because of this multi-million factory being place in the position it is being placed in and the time delays that are involved. The Minister al…

I am happy to have an opportunity to speak on this very important issue. We know that people are struggling, in particular working families, and finding it very hard to make ends meet. I have no intention of engaging in a game whereby any or all private investment in the housing market is automatically a bad thing, because I do not feel that is the case. That is an absurd position to adopt. What I will say, however, is that like in so many areas, it is a matter of proportion and balance. For example, we should be r…

The Oireachtas has shown from research that we have had more price volatility in the past 11 months than in the previous 12 years. This has had a serious impact on households. The rebate does not go far enough and I support the amendment which seeks to protect those in the rental market. The €100 rebate will not go far enough for a lower paid people. We need to bear in mind that those in the rental sector are constantly trying to cope with spiralling rental prices and other cost of living pressures. We need immedia…

In November last year, I sought assurances directly from the Taoiseach in this Chamber to ensure there would be an independent statutory inquiry into the allegations raised by the Women of Honour group. The serious nature of these allegations deserves nothing less than such a statutory independent inquiry. That is why I feel it is of paramount importance that that is done and that we get to the bottom of these serious allegations. This is an issue that I have pursued and I submitted parliamentary questions on it. I…

I am sharing time with Deputy Danny Healy-Rae. I want to begin by commending the Irish Cancer Society on the fantastic work it does all year round, every year. I deal with many families whose loved ones have received a shock diagnosis. I commend the Irish Cancer Society on the information it provides and on the dedicated nurse line which deserves a special mention this morning. It is very professional. Without it, we would be at a loss in our constituency offices regarding where to direct patients and families. Can…

I want to raise the issue of day care services for elderly people. The programme for Government sets out a clear commitment to these vital services within our communities. In Laois-Offaly, my constituency, there is a serious problem in that services there have not resumed. It has been brought to my attention that the services in Abbeyleix, Mountmellick and Portlaoise are all closed. We have been informed that the services at Abbeyleix hospital are to be relocated. This has come as a huge shock because it is such a …

In the short time I have, I will focus on how the lockdowns clearly showed the inequalities that exist, particularly in education. They showed us the need to reassess how we support our schools. Inequality was deepened. There is an issue regarding schools accessing the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, DEIS, programme and in attaining DEIS status. The current process needs to be reassessed because disadvantaged communities are not being captured by the current programme. This needs to be reassessed. Ma…

Tá áthas orm labhairt sna ráitis seo ar leathanbhanda. Is tubaiste mhór í agus tá a fhios ag gach Ball nach bhfuil na moilleanna seo go maith. Tá sé dochreidte go bhfuil daoine ag feithimh ar feadh na blianta chun an t-infreastruchtúr seo a fháil, agus is infreastruchtúr bunúsach é ag deireadh an lae. The following comments were made by a Minister regarding the roll-out of the national broadband plan, "The Government’s National Broadband Plan aims to radically change the broadband landscape in Ireland by ensuring t…

Táim ag tógáil ama ó na Teachtaí eile sa ghrúpa. I am almost finished. I had leeway because there is nobody else here from the group.

I told the Ceann Comhairle when I came in that I was taking the time on behalf of the group.

I will finish up. The cost of the NBI programme is made up of a base subsidy of €2.1 billion and €480 million of a contingency subsidy plus VAT. According to NBI, it is very early in the build phase but the indications are it will be able to keep as close to the € 2.1 billion base subsidy as possible. If this does not happen, does the Minister anticipate increasing the existing €480 million contingency fund and, if so, at what level? As I said, I have serious concerns around the cost of the project. Indeed, I have …