Go raibh maith agat. Tá brón orm mar bhí mé píosa measctha suas. I wish to raise the issue of the revised wind farm guidelines. We need to make sure that communities’ rights are respected and upheld, and also that there is balance in representing the rights of communities. It should not be all one-way traffic. The revised guidelines have been promised for years, but we do need to prioritise community consultation and address householder concerns on noise and flicker levels. When will the guidelines be published? Co…

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. When will the interdepartmental engagement come to an end? Have we a timeframe and timeline? For years we have been waiting for revised guidelines to address the concerns of communities that have legitimate fears over noise and shadow flicker. There is great concern. In Lemanaghan, County Offaly, which is in my constituency and where there is a proposal for a wind farm, there have been 2,300 submissions from residents. It is just one small area but it indicates the exten…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I would appreciate it if he could come back with a direct and definite answer on the interdepartmental engagement. The Minister of State mentioned that step in the process. I would like to know when it will finish so I can inform my constituents what is happening and give them some idea of the position on both the process and dates. The affected communities are experiencing genuine difficulty at pre-planning stage, on which stage the objections of local communities ar…

This is becoming like Groundhog Day. We have brought this issue up many times at a cross-party level. It is shameful what is happening in our country. Timber is being imported. The Government is missing its own climate change targets. That is crazy. The afforestation target was to plant 8,000 ha annually, and the Government is missing that target. That does not inspire confidence in any farmer to plant trees. The Minister of State needs to prove herself and listen to us. The frustrating thing for us all is that man…

I thank all of those who have contributed to this important debate. I particularly thank the Deputies who have indicated their support for their motion and who are, like us, listening to constituents who are telling us they are enduring great hardship. These are ordinary families, businesses, farmers and hauliers. This crisis is affecting everybody in the State. There have been several power cuts in my county in recent weeks. There were, in fact, two power cuts in one week. As power cuts become more common, I wonde…

-----about austerity and everything else but they have nothing constructive to add. Some socialists they are. We all must question that. People are struggling. I have had meetings with farmers, hauliers and ordinary working people who are being hit hard. I can honestly say they are facing real hardship and I am asking the Government to please take action. I ask it to ensure some action is taken because it does not make sense to me or anybody else that Ireland has the highest electricity costs in the EU. That does n…

On behalf of the Rural Independent Group, I wish to express our deepest condolences. It was very sad to hear of Austin's passing yesterday. We express our condolences to Senator Emer Currie, the Currie family and the Fine Gael Party. As a nationalist, I also want to commend Austin on all he did in the North when it was very difficult to stand up for Catholic and nationalist families. In terms of housing, he did huge work. He will always be remembered for that great work, his courage and, mainly, the leadership he s…

The dental medical card scheme is in a state of crisis currently. It was confirmed to me in a reply to a parliamentary question that in the period from September 2020 to September 2021, there have been 33 resignations of dental surgeon contractors from the dental treatment services scheme in my constituency of Laois-Offaly alone. This crisis is mirrored in every single region and county right across this State. In discussions I had with the Irish Dental Association on Monday, it was confirmed to me that there are o…

I thank the Taoiseach for his response. We have to remember that reform of the Dentists Act 1985 has been promised for the last decade. There are difficulties at play. From speaking with the dentists, there is a lot of frustration which would indicate that there has not been meaningful dialogue with the Department. That concerns me because these issues should have been ironed out long ago and the matter should have been resolved to make sure that people have access to dental treatment. The core issue is that people…

I want to raise the backlog of afforestation and felling licences. There is a current backlog of 5,000. Will the Taoiseach ensure that the Government takes action? I met a number of representatives from the Social Economic Environmental Forestry Association and it is asking for the full implementation of the McKinnon report within a certain timeframe and to ensure that every application made contains a timeframe for the processing of these licences. There is a deep crisis and we need to ensure that urgent action is…

Tá áthas orm an deis a fháil chun labhairt ar na ráitis eolaíochta anocht. Mar is eol dúinn go léir, tá eolaíocht fíorthábhachtach sa chóras oideachais agus caithfimid ár seacht ndícheall a dhéanamh chun dul chun cinn a dhéanamh maidir le heolaíocht agus maidir leis na daltaí atá ag staidéar eolaíochta. I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak on the very important matter of science during Science Week, especially as a member of the Oireachtas committee on higher education and a former national school teache…

Page 15 of the programme for Government makes reference to hauliers and the need for a strategy for the sector. The current rate of fuel rebate at just 7.5 cent is insufficient and puts Irish hauliers at a distinct competitive disadvantage compared to their European counterparts. For example, the rate of rebate in France is 19 cent. Will the Taoiseach ensure that a revised fuel rebate scheme is brought forward and that the rate of fuel rebate is increased in order to provide a level playing field for Irish hauliers…

Our nurses are fantastic; they do great work. We do not need to repeat that over and again. They do not want a clap on the back, rather they want to be respected and given proper pay and conditions, which is only minimal and right. I support this motion and, in particular, the provision to have the registration and retention fee waived. This must happen because we cannot simply allow the Government to pay lip service. It is a shame the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, is no longer in the Chamber, because there ar…

The first point I want to raise is the lack of services and the dire situation of services where therapists are concerned. The waiting lists are so long. I have personal experience of this. In my great frustration, I have written to the Offaly school age team in Tullamore about a child. I would say I have written at least five times at this stage but have yet to receive a response. The young child was placed under the school age team and his parents are very anxious that he be prioritised for speech therapy as soon…

Page 115 of the programme for Government refers to the Commission on the Defence Forces. It provides commitments that this commission will examine the governance of the Defence Forces and how they respond to members' needs. I commend and welcome the fact that the Secretary General and senior officials of the Department of Defence met the group of courageous women who are spearheading the Women of Honour campaign. I understand that an independent review body has been established and also that the Commission on the D…

Tá áthas orm an deis a fháil chun labhairt ar an rún fíorthábhachtach seo anocht agus ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an Teachta Ó Broin a chur an rún seo os ár gcomhair. The defining issue for an entire generation is housing and increasing rents. It is a more defining and real issue than all the talk spouted about climate policy because it affects so many people. We are all aware the current rates of rent are unsustainable for most working families, including those who rely on HAP and other payments. A rec…

Foetal anticonvulsant syndrome is a condition that affects children born to women who were prescribed the anti-epileptic drug Epilim during pregnancy. Children exposed to this drug in the womb have a higher chance of genetic malformations compared to the general population. An additional 40% of children exposed to Epilim experience developmental delays and have a three to five times greater risk of developing autism and ADHD. In comments made at Epilepsy Ireland's national conference, a neurologist described the im…

I thank the Tánaiste for his constructive response and his commitment to seek further information, which I am sure the families will appreciate. I want to point out that the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, did commit to convening a stakeholder group to see what can be done and, certainly, to stamp out the risks associated with Epilim. It is vital that the stakeholder group be established immediately because this is something that could run alongside an inquiry. In addition, back in 2018, the recruitment of four …

We heard from many Government Deputies in the Chamber last night. Shamefully, some rural Deputies were lauding the great budget and, as they termed them, the great climate action measures contained in it. I remind those Deputies who called such measures progressive that there is nothing progressive about the possibility of blackouts. There is nothing progressive about thousands of tonnes of peat being imported from Latvia and Estonia while 10,000 jobs are at risk in our horticulture sector. There is nothing progres…

I am happy to contribute to the debate. I do so from a rural perspective, as part of the Rural Independent Group and as a rural Deputy from Laois-Offaly. I raise the severe defeat for Ireland in regard to our 12.5% rate of corporation tax. That loss is conservatively estimated to be in the region of €2 billion annually to the economy but, of course, that is just the beginning. Almost as important as the fact we have lost something vital to our national interests when it comes to the public finances, this is a loss …