NSO 7 is a broad area and the Minister tried to focus on various areas of expenditure. Great work is being done in terms of investments. The Minister probably has no idea which area I will focus on, so I will tell him: tourism. There is supposed to be strategic investment in tourism under NSO 7. This overlaps with investment in sports. I firmly believe that Ireland can put itself in a position to be a leader in Europe and, potentially, the world in terms of outdoor activities and pursuits and adventure tourism, for…

To be fair to the Minister, the first piece is to put the strategy in place in terms of what outdoor activities we focus on and that we become leaders in. Is it hiking, mountain biking, sailing, kayaking or whale watching? There is obviously an overlap then in Departments because for something like whale watching or sailing, we need pier and harbour infrastructure, which is improving, but there is a whole section of coast - I am thinking of Cork which has the longest coastline in the country - where investment is n…

I ask the Minister to provide an overview on the progress to date under national strategic outcome 8 of the National Development Plan 2021-2030 and to make a statement on the matter.

One of the areas included under that heading is the roll-out of smart meters. The Minister may not have the figures in front of him and if he does not, that is understandable. It is a big part of transitioning to more sustainable energy in particular. The target is for 2.2 million or 2.25 million smart meters to be rolled out. We are at approximately 1.2 million of them, which is slightly more than 50% of the target. That is certainly an improvement. Key to this, however, is encouraging people to use those smart me…

The Minister and I will turn on our washing machines as soon as we go home. We will be able to avail of the night rate. To clarify the point I am making, of the 1.5 million-odd meters that have been rolled out so far, only 80,000, or 6%, of them are being used to avail of that cheaper rate. The smart meters are not being used to their capacity and that is because the night rate kicks in too late. If it was brought in earlier, such as at 7 p.m. or 8 p.m., which are after peak time, more people would use their applia…

In order to reach this 51% reduction by 2030, we will clearly have to look at every measure possible. I am wondering if it is time to consider free public transport in this country. Transport, as we know, is responsible for 18% of emissions. Of that, fossil fuel from car travel is responsible for 13%.

Two of the barriers to public transport are accessibility, in that the public transport is not there, and affordability. In Ireland, we have some of the most expensive public transport in Europe. There was an EY report that suggested this move would achieve a 1% reduction in emissions. That was almost portrayed as a negative thing, but in this race against global warming, we need every single percentage reduction in emissions possible and this will achieve a 1% reduction. Many measures are met with resistance and c…

I will raise the issue of cancer support services, particularly those in Cork, and the need for funding from the State to support such services. I especially want to talk about Cancer Connect, a service I have mentioned here in the Dáil on several occasions. Cancer Connect brings people from areas a long way from the city in Cork and Kerry to Cork University Hospital, CUH, for their radiotherapy and chemotherapy. It is an absolutely vital service but it needs funding to support it. It has 258 voluntary drivers. The…

It is a shame it has become this competition of who can shout the loudest and who can bang their desk the hardest.

I will continue with my question which relates to insurance - I am delighted the Minister of State responsible for insurance is here - especially insurance for festivals and events. We are into June and in the middle of festival season especially where I am from in west Cork where every town and village has the most colourful and vibrant festival imaginable. Unfortunately, many of these festivals are struggling to get access to insurance. It is not only festivals but also charity and community events for which acce…

The NRP refers to investment in infrastructure. One of the most basic infrastructural needs of any town or village is adequate wastewater treatment. I want to bring to the Taoiseach's attention the village of Shannonvale. The park in Shannonvale, which was used by children and families to play, now is unsafe because of excrement essentially coming up through the surface. There is a need to invest in the wastewater infrastructure there. The Government announced two programmes that local authorities can apply to. One…

I thank the Minister of State for being here tonight to take this matter in his role in the Department of Transport. The N71 is the most important route in west Cork. It is the national route that serves the entire region, coming from Cork city through Inishannon, Bandon and Clonakilty out to Skibbereen, Ballydehob, Bantry and Glengarriff. That will give the Minister of State an idea of the expanse of the route and number of communities it connects. It is much more than that. It is important infrastructure for thos…

The last part of the Minister of State's statement on the procurement of technical advisers is encouraging. It sounds familiar and I feel like I have heard it before when it comes to the section between Owenahincha and Rosscarbery. We need to get cracking with significant improvements. There have been several incidents along this route and there have been fatalities. There are two problems that stick out in the reply the Minister of State has given me. He stated that there has been significant funding of the N71 si…

Would the Minister of State agree with me that it is time to review urgently the means test for carer's allowance? The income limits are far too low. Furthermore, there is nowhere near enough flexibility when applicants are marginally over the income threshold. Time and again, carers who give every second of their day to look after loved ones are caught between a rock and hard place. There needs to be more flexibility shown by the Department. I have to give the Minister the example of Dolores, who is from west Cork…

I want to know about the strategy we are putting in place to tackle the astronomical profits being collected by energy companies. This morning, we learned that SSE Airtricity, one of the providers in the Irish market, accrued profits of €2.18 billion. That comes after the ESB recording 12-month profits of €847 million. This is all in the context of historic increases in energy and electricity bills. There are two things we can do straight away. First, many people now have smart meters but at the moment, the cheaper…

A key part of reducing our emissions is taking steps to ensure we reduce the demand side of things. Some 1.2 million smart meters have been rolled out so far across Ireland. Only 80,000 of those consumers are availing of smart tariffs. That is approximately 6% or 7%, which is far too little. A big part of the problem is the fact the night-time rate begins at 11 p.m. when nobody wants to turn on appliances, or have their washing machine or dishwasher on, because it causes disruption, especially for those who may hav…

I wish to raise the urgent need to increase special school capacity right across Ireland. There are parents everywhere in Ireland at the moment who are looking for and fighting for places for their children in special schools. In west Cork we do not even have a special school. That needs to change urgently. I wish to raise the issue of a child who lives close to where we are in the centre of Dublin. Robbie McGrath from Clontarf is 13 years old. He has a dual diagnosis of Down's syndrome and autism spectrum disorder…

The economy is doing very well with unemployment at only 4%. Many sectors are booming but for many rural areas, tourism and hospitality is key and is the largest employer. A concerning report recently suggested that visitor numbers for the first three months of this year were down 16%. Many believe this is down to an issue with hotel accommodation capacity and the fact that the British market, one of the markets on which we are most reliant, is down. What is being done to increase hotel accommodation capacity, impr…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. I was due to share with Deputy Dillon, but I understand he was not able to make it here. I will not speak for the full nine minutes, as he was due to have four or five of these. I can waffle if my colleagues wish but I would prefer to get straight to the point. Was there any discussion at the EU Council meeting on state aid rules and EU funding and how this funding is spent, in particular, by local authorities? This relates not just to how it is spent but also to how it is applied for. …

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. I was due to share with Deputy Dillon, but I understand he was not able to make it here. I will not speak for the full nine minutes, as he was due to have four or five of these. I can waffle if my colleagues wish but I would prefer to get straight to the point. Was there any discussion at the EU Council meeting on state aid rules and EU funding and how this funding is spent, in particular, by local authorities? This relates not just to how it is spent but also to how it is applied for. …