I raise the issue of the Cope Foundation facility in Bandon, which is closed at the moment, and the impact this is having on the Cope facility in Clonakilty. As the Minister of State knows well, at the start of Covid disability services were scaled back and closed in certain instances. The Minister of State fought really hard to ensure that those facilities were reopened to the fullest extent they could be at the time. During subsequent lockdowns she rallied to keep those facilities open. That is really important. …

I thank the Minister of State. I am delighted with what she has said. She hit the nail on the head and mirrored exactly what Liam's family said to me before I came into the Chamber, namely, that Liam does not have a voice. He needs a voice and people like him need a voice. The Minister of State is right that if the same thing was happening to someone who was able to articulate issues, it might not have got to this. Liam does not have a voice. I am trying to be that voice for Liam to ensure his needs are met. Perhap…

Castletownbere.

I know the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, is familiar with west Cork. I understand he has been to Castletownshend, so he will be very familiar with how picturesque it is down there. Castletownshend, to paint the picture, is a coastal village just east of Skibbereen and is one of the most picturesque locations in Ireland, I would say. It is a beautiful village with a 17th century castle and looks over a beautiful inlet, one of the most stunning inlets along the Cork coast. It also has the very famous Mary Ann's r…

I thank the Minister of State. That is a very positive development in regard to Castletownshend. Obviously we knew the planning permission has been granted, but that we can expect work to commence in 2022 will bring much solace to the people of Castletownshend, business people and residents alike. In my remaining time I have another Irish Water-related issue to raise regarding my home town of Clonakilty. I know the Minister of State is a big fan of Clonakilty and visits it regularly. Clonakilty is one of the main t…

I commend the emergency services, the fire services and Cork County Council, which were out since 5 a.m. on Tuesday trying to battle back the north Atlantic, an impossible task without a flood defence. I am assured some of the measures they took prevented further damage, but we have to acknowledge their incredible efforts. It is now expected that every time there is a southerly wind and a high tide, Bantry will be flooded. On this occasion, in the region of 23 premises, properties and businesses were impacted by th…

I stress again the importance of expediting and streamlining the scheme and getting it right. However, I welcome the interim measures the Minister of State outlined. I also stress that we are having more frequent and severe weather events. Our coastline is being battered, as the Minister of State knows well, being from Waterford. It is not just towns being flooded. Piers are being washed away and coastal walkways are collapsing into the sea because of these more frequent weather events. We do not have a strategy or…

I want to raise the issue of the wearing of face masks by children in primary schools. I fundamentally get the necessity to follow NPHET advice, and I have always supported the Taoiseach in that. Following that expert advice has served the Taoiseach, the country and the people well. There comes a point when we have to ask whether the benefits of a measure outweigh the potential harms of that measure. I am doing this on behalf of the parents, guardians and school principals, who have contacted me in respect of this …

As the Taoiseach knows, Brexit had a disproportionate impact on the fishing sector. The Common Fisheries Policy review is looming. What is the Government's approach to that review in terms of addressing the burden share and quota share issue facing the Irish fleet? I understand that there will be a meeting of the European Council on 12 and 13 December, including marine and fishing ministers, to discuss quota share. Surely that is an opportune time to discuss the issue of burden sharing and the fact that the Irish f…

It is 2 December and Christmas is in full swing. As the Tánaiste will be well aware, Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and the team of elves are absolutely flat-out in their workshop in Lapland trying to make toys for the children of Ireland and children right across the globe. He will also be aware, in his role as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, that there is an issue with the supply chain in Ireland, the UK, Europe and right across the globe. I want him to reassure the children of Ireland that the supply cha…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, for attending. I appreciate the difficult task she has in trying to rectify what seems to be a crisis in special needs assistant, SNA, shortages and allocations. At the same time, I must speak up on behalf of the parents of children with special needs. Principals of national schools throughout the country, and in west Cork, seem to be engaged in a constant battle for extra SNA allocation. These principals are already dealing with extra Covid measures such as those anno…

This is the type of thing that is happening on the ground.

It is proof that the NCSE has no idea of what is happening on the ground and that needs to be resolved.

I genuinely appreciate the efforts that are being made. I do not disregard the figure of in excess of 19,000 SNAs that are in circulation. That is a large increase, and we must acknowledge it. At the same time, in many instances, the increase in SNA allocations is not being reflected on the ground. In the cases I outlined, many of the schools have applied to the NCSE and appealed decisions. In some instances, they may have received a minor increase in their SNA allocation. In one case, a school received an increase…

The income threshold for fuel allowance will increase to €120 in January and the overall rate of payment will also increase. That is proof that carbon tax can be used to protect the most vulnerable in society. When it comes to assessing those who qualify for fuel allowance, I am asking that we show far more flexibility and discretion. I also ask that payments such as carer's allowance and child benefit be disregarded when assessing who does or does not qualify for fuel allowance, especially when the only income of …

I did not get an opportunity yesterday to contribute to the debate on the National Ambulance Service. I want to take this opportunity to address the urgent need for extra ambulances and ambulance staff in the west Cork area. The Taoiseach knows well the unique geography of west Cork and that it can take anything up to three hours to travel from Cork University Hospital to Castletownbere. It is unique and it needs extra ambulances and extra ambulance staff. There is a €200 million allocation in the budget for ambula…

Like Deputy Costello, I wish to raise the issue of international surrogacy. In Ireland there are couples who may have chosen to avail of IVF treatment and have gone through three or four rounds of IVF unsuccessfully and who may then have chosen international surrogacy. We have ludicrous legislation meaning that they then return to Ireland with their child and the mother is not recognised as the mother. They are required to apply for guardianship. They have to apply for adoption. It is not good enough. I plead with …

I thank and congratulate the Taoiseach on his performance at, and contribution to, the COP26 summit in Glasgow. While it has been met with much cynicism by the Opposition, I firmly believe it was, by far, the best contribution by any Irish leader at any Conference of the Parties held to date. It reaffirmed our commitment to climate action. It is also important to note that we went there with a climate action Bill that has been described as best in class globally. I thank and congratulate the Taoiseach in that regar…

Rural communities are leading the way when it comes to sustainability, but if we are to get buy-in from everybody in rural Ireland when it comes to low-carbon alternatives, we must put those alternatives in place. That is especially true of transport. I am a firm believer in the "every village, every hour" concept, so that no matter what village or town you are in in Ireland, there will be a public transport option - a public bus at the very least, available to you. The Taoiseach is very familiar with west Cork and…

Earlier this year, representatives of the fishing sector from across Ireland sailed to the ports of Cork and Dublin and called for fair quotas. They called for protection of the future of the industry and sector. Among those fishers were many from non-EU countries. Together with their fellow crew members and friends, they called for fairer quotas and the protection of the future of the fishing industry. I was there. I heard the speeches, met the non-EU fishers and talked to them and they called together in one voic…