I welcome the amendment the Minister has made to the benefit-in-kind measure. The Fianna Fáil parliamentary party as a group met with the Minister to explain that while we believe any initiatives to move towards cleaner vehicles, whether electric or hybrid, are welcome, in some cases people would be put very much out of pocket by this measure. I really appreciate that the Minister listened. We are all in agreement on the direction of travel in relation to electric cars and I welcome the fact that the Minister liste…

If Deputy Healy-Rae will let me explain, I will convert him. I will do my best and by the time I am finished speaking, Deputy Danny Healy-Rae will be in an EV, charged by offshore renewable energy from the Kerry coast and he will have zero emissions.

EV sales surpassed diesel vehicle sales this week and there is a reason for that. EVs are becoming a more viable alternative. A couple of years ago I would have agreed with Deputy Healy-Rae. The range was not there but the ranges are fantastic now. We are talking now about 400 km and up to 500 km. Even Deputy Healy-Rae and I would not do that much in a day.

The Deputy would have to charge it before he goes home; he is absolutely right but the technology is improving vastly. EVs are fast. I am not sure if the Deputy has ever been in one but they are fast, smooth and comfortable. The Deputy is absolutely right that one is not going to pull a trailer-load of cattle in an EV. They are not ready for that yet-----

We are going to have to allow for that transition. One will not be able to pull a trailer-load of cattle or silage but there is a place for EVs. Their range is improving massively. We all agree we need offshore renewable energy. I have even heard comments from Deputy Healy-Rae in relation to that. When we have offshore renewable energy and we are charging EVs, that is clean transport. Furthermore, there is a case to be made that EVs are more suitable in rural areas. If the Deputy jumps into an EV now and drives at …

This question asks the Minister what plans he has to tackle the increasing levels of reporting of sexual violence against women.

I thank the Minister. I appreciate, as he outlined, that much has been done in this area, especially in the past 12 to 18 months. However, we are discussing this issue in a context where the trend is clear. There has been a significant increase in violence against women in recent years. The statistics show that 12 women died violently in 2022, which is the highest number since 2007. I can speak from a west Cork perspective. The statistics for the area show that in 2019, 48 cases of rape or sexual assault were repor…

I will use my remaining time to underline the seriousness of the situation in west Cork. I outlined the statistics earlier. There were 48 cases of sexual assault and rape in 2019, increasing to 70 in 2020 and to 105 in 2021. There is a serious issue there and there is a serious lack of services in the west Cork area. It was mentioned as one of the regions where refuges should be provided in the future. It is paramount that we provide a refuge there to offer proper services. Women who have been through the most trau…

It is now ten minutes past midnight and here we are. I appreciate the Minister of State taking this matter.

Family friendly is right. We have all got homes to go to. I appreciate that the Minister of State is here. I am disappointed that none of the health Ministers are here to listen to my plea. This is the seventh effort I have made to get this matter taken. Now that it is finally being taken and the Minister of State is here to take it, despite the fact it is 12.10 a.m., I have decided that we should press ahead and get it on the record.

Exactly. We are into the following day. I appreciate the Minister of State sticking around to take this matter. It relates to Cancer Connect, which is an extraordinary cancer support service in Cork, west Cork and extending into County Kerry. It offers a transport service for people availing of chemotherapy and radiotherapy services in Cork University Hospital, CUH, and Cork city. At the time I got these statistics together in June last year, 106 passengers per week were being brought to Cork city for cancer treatm…

I thank the Minister of State for the response but, as he will appreciate, it did not quite answer the question I had. To help in this exercise, he might take note of my comments, and pass on a message to the Minister for Health, regarding my specific question. The then CEO of CHO 4 made an application to the HSE for specific funding for the running of the Cancer Connect service. We were told to await the publication of the service plan. My understanding is the service plan has been published but the detail within …

Young people have had it incredibly tough in the past couple of years. Covid has deprived them of so much. It has impacted their education, mental health and ability to socialise and have fun. We need to move mountains for young people more than we ever have. The least we can do is provide them with timely access to driving tests. Waiting five months for a driving test after making an application is not good enough. The rescheduling of tests is a cause of great frustration, particularly when an appointment for a te…

The IPCC report is not about goals or ambition because the Government clearly has those. It is the rate of pace at which we are putting the items in our action plan into action. I will break that down in respect of how it can work in rural Ireland and urban areas, especially in the area of electric vehicle, EV, sales. The good news is that EV sales increased by 50% in the first couple of months of 2023 compared with the previous year. That is good. The bad news is that fossil fuel cars grew even more as regards uni…

Has Deputy Devlin been promoted?

I want to use this slot, and it is important that I do, to discuss and outline the experience of a seventh-generation family-run hotel in Clonakilty. I want to outline the disgusting and despicable treatment that this family-run business experienced at the hands of one of our pillar banks, AIB, and an unscrupulous vulture fund, Everyday Finance. Unfortunately, the experience that I will outline reflects the experiences that many businesses, farmers and individuals have at the hands of some of the pillar banks and e…

At the risk of making the Minister for Health repeat himself, I also want to ask about community neurorehabilitation. The Neurological Alliance of Ireland, NAI, and a number of clinical leads in stroke, neurology, dementia care and neurorehabilitation have just spent the past hour and a half in the audiovisual room advocating for community neurorehabilitation. They did so because of the proven benefits the latter has for people who are recovering from brain injury or stroke and for the benefits it has for the patie…

On this, International Women's Day, I will dedicate this contribution to the extraordinary women I am lucky enough to know, that is, my mum, sisters, fiancé and friends who, every day, have to work much harder for equal recognition. I make special mention of my amazing sister, Anne, who raised a family and got a degree in business, with her youngest baby in tow in a baby sling, when there was no crèche or childminding facilities available. She has had to hold down a job and battle cancer. She is the most incredible…

Does the Taoiseach agree his Department should lead the development of an action plan to protect small businesses in towns throughout Ireland? I appreciate, as do businesses, the recent measures, including the enhancement of the temporary business energy support scheme, TBESS, and the extension of the reduced VAT rate for the hospitality sector. However, there appears to be something wrong. For example, a restaurant that has bookings for months in advance, so it is successful, is struggling to stay afloat and stay …

I want to talk to the Taoiseach about the proposed move to put EmployAbility services throughout Ireland out to public tender in April. EmployAbility companies throughout Ireland have been successful in sourcing employment for people with a disability or for people with a mental illness and they have been doing that for years. I have met numerous people who have availed of this service. They have gone from barely being able to get out of bed to proper full-time employment and vibrant lives. The success rate of the …