I show up every single week. The Deputy knows well how the speaking slots work here. Until last week we were locked out of this so I am glad to be one of the first-----

-----Members to avail of this because we have a democratic mandate as well. There were a hundred issues that I would like to have raised last week but I got two minutes speaking time in the entire Dáil week to speak about legislation from the 1820 to the 1850 period. How irrelevant when I want to speak on topics like this. I am glad that anyone who is watching at home can look at the screen and see what is happening here today. We show up here every single day of every single week. I will now speak to the matter we…

Deputy Aird might give me some time now. I was recently given a tour of the new 96-bed block that is under construction at University Hospital Limerick, UHL. It will be completed by the end of May, and by September for patient occupation. It is modern, and will help hugely in terms of public healthcare. As we reached the top floor, the builders pointed out that is where the new 96-bed block will go, and further back in the carpark they aim to build another 96-bed block. I made the point to the builders and HSE mana…

It would have pushed them to An Bord Pleanála.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this matter. This is a priority area in the programme for Government. I see at home how important youth diversion projects are. The newest one just started in east Clare in the past fortnight. This is the first time that the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, has been here leading a debate. I congratulate him on his new role and wish him the best in the Department. We have a good man leading the youth diversion area. It is important that we broaden the service even more. I note…

This is of your making.

I express my confidence in the Ceann Comhairle, Deputy Murphy. Instead of having these statements, a number of TDs should be on their feet offering apologies and retracting statements they made last week. It is a good thing the microphone did not pick up some of those comments because they were outrageous, but they were very much heard in this Chamber throughout the debate last week. It was plain old simple schoolyard bullying. The collective Opposition crossed the Rubicon last week and debased the precious democra…

I hope the Deputy will be writing to the Ceann Comhairle tomorrow in that regard. Deputy McDonald assumes we on this side have collective amnesia but we have waited two years to hear about her connections with convicted criminal Jonathan Dowdall. I guess, like Slab Murphy, he is a good republican and so gets a pass. We would love to hear about Deputy McDonald's connections to him because that is grubby. There are many issues that the TDs and Senators of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann need to get working on. Tomorr…

It is good to see the Ceann Comhairle back in the Chair. I have full confidence in her. Let us now drive on with the work we need to do in this Chamber. This is a very important debate. I have quite a few bits to say. I have three minutes so the Ceann Comhairle might remind me when my time is up. I will speak about the issue of trees, as other speakers mentioned. Leylandii cypress trees are imports that were brought to Ireland in the 1980s. They were fashionable and were planted around bungalows and as windbreakers…

In accordance with Standing Order 85(2), the division is postponed until the weekly division time this evening.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this. Fianna Fáil welcomes and supports the Statute Law Revision Bill 2024 which will simplify and improve accessibility to legislation. There is a whole raft of legislation that I would say is unknown to us. It is buried in the depths of archives covered in dust and cobwebs. It is right to start revising some of this, pulling it forward and making it more modernised. Can I speak in the spirit of the latitude that is sometimes allowed in this Chamber, if the Cathaoirleach Gníom…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this. I am sharing time and will use three minutes, if that is okay. I have long represented the issue of suspended gardaí here in this Chamber. At the moment, a total of 112 gardaí are suspended. Some are suspended for very good reason and some may have done things that merit being kicked out of the force. However, many of them are suspended unnecessarily for very simple things like squaring road traffic fines. Imagine if some of those could be brought back into the force to f…

Thank you Deputy. We are going to move on.

We will close with a statement from the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy. I missed the opportunity to congratulate him when I was speaking earlier. We all wish him the very best in his new role and congratulate him again.

I wish the Minister of State the best of luck in his new role.

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and invite him to make his opening statement.

No, beidh seans ag an Teachta i gceann nóiméid. Leanfaimid ar aghaidh leis an Aire anois.

If Deputy McGuinness is pulling others up on technicalities, there are technicalities for how he makes interventions as well.

Anois, rachaimid chuig Páirtí Shinn Féin. Tosóimid leis an Teachta Ó Snodaigh. Tá trí nóiméad aige.

Sár-iarracht. Go raibh míle maith agat, a Theachta.