We were all given assurances that there would not be an issue with aborted babies being born alive. We raised that issue in the Chamber and asked what would be done in that instance. We were dismissed, yet evidence and facts are now coming to light from GPs and other types of doctors. What is the Government going to do about this? It is shameful that the Minister for Health is not present. There is conflict among doctors regarding the diagnosis of fatal foetal abnormality and in respect of palliative care for abort…

It is disappointing to hear, from his scripted response, the Minister of State has not dealt with anything we raised here. We raised issues such as babies being born alive without palliative care, conflict among doctors, and the issue of no pain relief being given even though the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 allows veterinaries to prescribe pain relief. This is going unnoticed. The Minister of State is almost justifying it with that sort of response. It is barbaric. At the end of the day, this Government is r…

I fully support the principle of the Private Members' motion and, in particular, those workers who have been looking forward to being able to retire in peace and security at a time of their choosing. The motion notes that "every worker in the State makes a considerable tax contribution throughout their working life and should have the right to retire at 65" and that while some workers want to retire at 65, we also need to acknowledge that others wish to remain on at work when they are able and willing to do so. Unf…

The vast majority of us in the State have been trying to live with Covid and support the measures put in place to save lives and livelihoods. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of everyone. Some financial organisations are only too happy to prey on misery and distress, some of which has been generated by the Covid pandemic. This is particularly true of those vulture funds that have initiated a vicious cycle of ruthless activity involving the forced sale of hundreds, if not thousands, of farms across this State.…

I am shocked by the Tánaiste's lack of understanding of this issue. These vulture funds are ruthless. I know farmers who are doing their level best to engage with the financial institutions, but these vulture funds are faceless entities. I am shocked that the Government is happy to let them run riot and cause misery and distress to people. I am not for one second saying that we should not get people to pay their debts. There are, however, people who are genuinely trying their best and they are not being afforded sp…

I am delighted to be able to introduce this matter, which relates to the need for a primary care centre for Birr. The town has a growing population and also serves south Offaly and, indeed, people from north Tipperary. The people of the area have been left without a Midoc service for well in excess of two years. I am aware that the Sláintecare policy emphasises the need for the delivery of primary care units and acute services within the community. I stress the urgent need for a commitment to be given to establish …

I thank the Minister of State for her response. I am greatly appreciative of the information she provided because it was not known to me or to the local councillors exactly what was happening. The communication from the HSE in this matter needs to improve. I welcome that the Minister of State has got this information for us and that she is facilitating my questions on this important and urgent issue for the people of Birr and the wider area of south Offaly and north Tipperary. I have another question for the Minist…

I am happy to contribute to this debate. I want to acknowledge the extraordinary effort and role played by Irish people over the past seven months, including front-line staff in our hospitals, retail workers and principals and teachers in our schools who have done and continue to do a fantastic job every day. The restrictions and lockdowns have had serious implications in terms of people's health. Cancer screening and treatment has been almost non-existent. I have had first-hand experience of trying to fight for pe…

Tá áthas orm labhairt. We are here to discuss third level education in the round mainly. I also want to raise the challenges that are facing many students in the price of student accommodation which is effectively acting as a barrier for many students who just cannot take up places in college. We need to get to grips with that as this is excluding bright and gifted students. We need to ensure that we have legislation in place to overcome all of this. The Government can announce millions in support and measure after…

Page 47 of the programme for Government states that the expansion of primary and community care is at the heart of the Sláintecare programme. After spending a significant period trying to get an update on a proposal to have a primary care centre in Birr, I finally got an answer yesterday and was informed that the proposed site for a primary care centre was rejected. This contradicts the Government's approach to this whole issue and the Sláintecare report. I ask the Government, specifically the Minister for Health, …

I welcome this Bill. Along with Deputies Mattie McGrath and Michael Collins, I met the PSA and we dealt with several issues. What occurred at that meeting was a realisation that the current legislation from 2004 is far too weak and needs to be strengthened. I support what this Bill is trying to do, because this is exactly what we must do to protect people in repossession cases or where there are court orders. What has happened in this State is scandalous. I am aware of a widow, who was very sick, who had her land p…

I will begin my brief contribution by saying I have no intention of personalising this issue. I have no particular axe to grind with the Tánaiste, even though we have fundamentally disagreed on several important matters. Nevertheless, I am convinced that there are critical issues at stake. It is worth recalling that this fiasco is merely the latest instance in a series of events that have brought the operation of the Dáil and our national Parliament into disrepute. Last year, we had "swing-gate" and "vote-gate". Th…

As a member of the Rural Independent Group, I am delighted to be involved in this motion. I thank the hard-working staff in our offices, including Mairéad McGrath and Brian Ó Domhnaill, for all the great work they have done with this motion. I am very aware of flooding issues in my constituency of Laois-Offaly. The River Shannon causes flooding issues in areas like Banagher, Lusmagh, Shannonbridge, Shannon Harbour, Clonmacnoise and other surrounding areas. The River Brosna causes flooding in Riverstown and Birr. In…

In May this year Facebook announced that it is to build a 37,000 km undersea cable around Africa to provide it with better Internet access. The cable will connect 23 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Europe, and at 37,000 km long Facebook claims that the cable will be nearly equal to the circumference of the Earth. Compare this with our own dire situation where, almost a decade on from 2011, we still have to raise basic issues about the lack of a vital service such as rural broadband, which puts many countie…

I thank the Taoiseach for his response. I understand that it is important to protect the lives and safety of the public. However, some of the restrictions do not make any sense. One that I am challenging is the restriction on the marts. Food production is an essential activity and I would like the restrictions on the marts to be questioned and challenged. The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, stated at the start of October that the first tranche of 7,900 rural homes in the national broadband plan will be passed and read…

Tá áthas orm labhairt ar an rún seo anocht. Gabhaim buíochas le Sinn Féin as é a chur os ár gcomhair. Tá sé fíorthábhachtach agus ba mhaith liom fuascailt a fháil ón bhfadhb seo. I am very happy to speak on this Bill. This issue has generated significant concern in the midlands and throughout rural Ireland. I am one of the frustrated Deputies referred to by Deputy Canney. In July and the summer months we had issues along the Shannon and farmers' lands were flooded. A lot of farmers were affected. Livestock had to b…

I thank the Minister for being here so late to take these questions. Will the Minister provide an update on the measures he is taking to prevent the direct loss of up to 3,000 jobs in the agricultural merchant sector following EU plans to introduce new regulations in January 2022 that will prohibit agricultural merchants from prescribing certain medications and animal products. Will the Minister indicate whether the Government will seek a derogation to bring a resolution to this matter?

I would like to see the scientific evidence because I am not sure where it is coming from. Agricultural merchants are highly trained and skilled professionals who have been dispensing drugs since 2006. They also provide much-needed employment in rural towns where there is little or no employment. In my constituency we have Midland Veterinary in Tullamore, Portarlington and Edenderry and John Grennan and Sons in Kilcormac and Rath. They provide huge employment where there are few or no opportunities for people to ga…

I thank the Minister for his response. The fact that change is suggested is neither fair nor evidence based. To suggest agricultural merchants represent a threat to the health of livestock, which is the assumption, is not fact based. It is a worry. The sector is a vital cog in the rural economy, as I have pointed out. I hope the Minister will take on board the following point. Given the reluctance of many Irish vets to fulfil their current statutory obligation under Regulation 43(3) of the 2007 animal remedies regu…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the budget today. As we are all well aware, the financial and economic constraints facing this State and our people are monumental. The Covid-19 crisis has resulted in a severe economic change for Ireland. We know from the Parliamentary Budget Office's analysis that the Department of Finance in its own economic forecast underpinning budget 2021 estimates that GDP will fall by 2.5% in 2020 before increasing by 1.4% in 2021. The Department also estimates that the unemployment rat…