I raise the issue of telephone masts that are being erected throughout this country and particularly in my constituency. There have been one, if not two, egregious incidents in Kingswood in Tallaght. Masts are put up under section 254 of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2021. I call that section the "we do not give a damn what people think section". It enables a local authority to bypass most of the effective part of the planning system. What happens is that local residents wake up one morning to see a …

I thank the Minister of State for his reply to both matters. I appreciate that he is delivering it on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell. I hand it to the Minister of State, that he has done one thing, in that in one speech he has really nailed section 254. It is a sneaky little exemption that allows local authorities to do an end run around the planning law. That is what we all collectively find so totally unacceptable. Where will it stop? Will power generation plants be allowed next under a provisi…

Organised crime has to be tackled head-on at every single opportunity. There can be no let-up. Over the last few days, I have been contacted by so many people to outline the feeling of betrayal and anger they feel about Sinn Féin's-----

-----position in relation to Jonathan Dowdall. One man, John, who is an anti-drugs activist, now said he feels personally betrayed when he hears Sinn Féin's public representatives speaking about crime, drugs and how to tackle them. It is a party, he said, that was willing to allow a violent criminal to be a public representative for its party. He went on to ask me, "Do they feel no shame?" This week, two men were found guilty in the Special Criminal Court for their roles in the 2016 gun attack in the Regency Hotel.…

Yes, it is indeed.

I will come back to that. Thank you. I appreciate the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, but I will continue. Did his constituency mentor and now party leader, Deputy McDonald, call to his home, on the Navan Road by the way, and persuade him to stay? Did Deputy McDonald pressurise Jonathan Dowdall to stay in her local organisation?

What actions did Mary Lou McDonald take-----

-----to ensure Dowdall remained on as a councillor?

I am. Deputy McDonald will be here in the House later. I am sure she will take the opportunity to answer questions-----

-----on what "total support", as reported by thejournal.ie , she provided to Dowdall to ensure he stayed in the party? Who are the party figures - this is particularly important - Dowdall had talks with to reach his decision to stay in Sinn Féin? Remember, all of this took place when Sinn Féin's director of elections discussed the 2011 gun attack with Dowdall before he was elected to the council. On what exact date did that take place? What was the conversation? How many conversations were there? Sinn Féin only adm…

-----with Mary Lou McDonald's local organisation.

It stretches credibility to the limit to say he had no idea about-----

I am sorry, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, but I beg to differ with you with the greatest of respect.

The most organised crime story we have had in recent days and weeks in our country is the crime story I am referring to. It is deeply regrettable that you would try to stop me raising these questions, because these questions are at the heart of where-----

-----not only organised crime-----

-----infiltrates our country, but how we should be willing to address it.

I think the questions-----

The questions I posed, and I will repeat it again, are at the heart of attitudes towards organised crime because organised crime is what we are talking about.

We are talking about a gentleman who was involved in organised crime at the same time he was a public representative for a political party. We are talking about a leader of a political party who seeks high office in this country and who went out of her way to facilitate him remaining within her party. Indeed, she took no action, except to canvass for him in an election after, seemingly, people in her party would have been aware of information about him. If we are not willing to talk about that type of organised cri…

I ask the Leas-Cheann Comhairle to give me some latitude because she interrupted me. The public deserves-----