I put this question on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Mac Lochlainn, who is otherwise detained this morning. Ireland's inshore fishing fleet is facing an emergency. Rising costs, shrinking quotas and climate-driven weather losses are pushing family fishing businesses to the brink. The National Inshore Fishermen's Association, NIFA, has produced a practical and affordable proposal for an inshore fisheries stabilisation and climate adaptation scheme. Does the Minister of State consider it is may be time to stop commi…

I expected that the Minister of State would refer to state aid rules and how they might prevent this, but I do not believe that argument stands up. I acknowledge the work of NIFA and the inshore sector in producing these reports. NIFA has appeared before the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs and has been engaging with Deputy Mac Lochlainn and others for a long time. The truth is that the industry is in crisis and has been under pressure for many years. There is a level of deterioration. The Minister…

I also note the publication of the Mulvey report this week. It is underwhelming and there is not an expectation in the sector that the Berkery report will move this on much further, but that remains to be seen. My call to the Minister of State is that he and this Government accept that the inshore sector is facing an emergency and, based on that, they should now go and make the case to Brussels. Work can be done on other issues, such as quota, access and a fair proportion of fishing opportunity. This is about keepi…

In raising the issues with CDNT services across the south east, in Waterford in particular, I am really concerned about the situation in Dungarvan. The service there is down two whole-time equivalent speech and language therapists, and that is on top of a low base. I am very concerned about waiting lists. There are six children on a waiting list for CDNT services in Dungarvan for over 12 months. The situation is not much better in the Clonmel and Waterford CDNTs which cater to parts of County Waterford. This comes …

I thank the Minister of State for the response. Like her, I want to pay tribute to those who are working in the services. They have, in many cases with one hand tied behind their backs, managed to clear backlogs arising out of the pandemic and they do their work to a really excellent standard. As we know, however, there are ongoing issues in terms of recruitment and retention, with retention being a key issue. That is not to say there is not capacity elsewhere, however, and for those children whose development and …

I raise first the situation faced by the people of Cuba, an island that has been under an illegal blockade for many decades. It is a blockade that the world, through the United Nations, has condemned year on year. Despite the blockade and siege by the world's superpower - its nearest neighbour - Cuba has shown the way regionally in terms of health outcomes for its people. That progress on health is under attack, however. We are seeing a slow war of attrition against healthcare, nutrition and civilians by the United…

For communities across this State, in particular in our rural and Gaeltacht areas, An Post is a vital public service. It connects people and supports local businesses. As my colleague Deputy Joanna Byrne has said, post offices are often the last remaining public service in towns and villages. However, successive Governments have allowed rural communities to be hollowed out. Every time a post office closes, people are told that technology or the market will fill the gap but that is not the reality on the ground. In …

Tá todhchaí na hÉireann á cruthú againn inniu. Mar phoblachtach, ionadaí poiblí, fear Gaeltachta agus athair, tá a fhios agam nach dtógtar pobal láidir le dóchas amháin. Tógtar é le fís, misneach agus pleanáil. Is iad sin atá i gceist againn leis an mBille seo. The future of Ireland should be decided by the people of Ireland and this debate is about whether we have the courage and common sense to prepare for that future. We have a historic opportunity now to end partition and reunite our country; to build a new Ire…

I raise the situation of Kilrossanty National School in County Waterford. It is a rural DEIS school that is set to lose a teacher in September based on an enrolment snapshot taken at the end of last September that no longer reflects reality. The school had 102 pupils on that day in September 2025, but several more pupils joined the school after that snapshot. It has 111 enrolled for the coming year, well above the threshold, yet it is still losing a teacher based on that snapshot. This will mean class sizes of up t…

I am an Irish republican and I believe deeply in the principles of equality, solidarity and community. Those values shape my politics. They are also the values that exist at the heart of Pride. That is why I am proud to stand here today and every day as an ally of the LGBTQ community. Pride is a celebration of people being able to live freely, openly, honestly and without fear. It is about recognising the dignity and worth of every person and building a society where everyone feels respected and included. Tá cearta…

Táim ag tacú leis an rún seo mar tá dualgas orainn seasamh a ghlacadh nuair a fheicimid éagóir. Tá an domhan tar éis féachaint ar an scrios atá déanta ag Iosrael ar mhuintir na Palaistíne. Tá na mílte fir, mná agus páistí maraithe. Tá pobail leagtha go talamh agus tá páistí ag fás aníos faoi bhuamáil, ocras agus eagla. Tá cúiseamh ann faoi chinedhíothú, coireanna cogaidh agus apartheid. Ní féidir linn leanúint ar aghaidh mar is gnáth agus na himeachtaí seo ar siúl. Tá rud simplí á lorg ag muintir na Palaistíne; tá …

Táim chun caint anocht faoi Scoil Gharbháin i nDún Garbháin i gContae Phort Láirge. Tá sága - scéal an-fhada - sa scoil seo i dtaobh síneadh a chur leis an bhfoirgneamh scoile. I raise the situation of Scoil Gharbháin in Dungarvan, County Waterford and the long-running saga the school community, the children, teaching staff, management, board and parents have been dealing with over several years. The Department of education has recently communicated the decision to the school that it is to scale back a long-approve…

Gabhaim buíochas as sin ach níl sé ró-úsáideach dom ná do na daoine atá bainteach leis an scoil seo. I thank the Minister of State for the response. I appreciate him being here to read it. However, similar to other speakers tonight, I will put on record that I would much prefer it if one of the two Ministers in the Department of education were here. Neither is. That in itself tells us something. We could have a more engaging and robust conversation. That is no criticism of the Minister of State. To be fair, he is h…

Nílimid ag cur i gcoinne na leasuithe.

Tairgim leasú Uimh. 3: Ar leathanach 9, líne 13, “(b)” a scriosadh. Tuigim go bhfuil leasuithe Uimh. 3, 5 agus 22 á bplé le chéile. An bhfuil sé sin ceart?

An sprioc atá ag na leasuithe seo ná le cinntiú go mbeidh an bord iomlán ag Údarás na Gaeltachta tofa agus go mbeidh guth ag na ceantair Ghaeltachta níos lú atá scartha amach ó mhórchuid na Gaeltachta ina gcontaetha féin. Táim ag tagairt ar cheantair Ghaeltachta i gContae na Mí agus i gContae Phort Láirge mar shamplaí. Faoin mBille mar atá, bheadh seisear as 16 comhalta boird roghnaithe ag an Aire, agus ní thoghfaí ach deichniúr go daonlathach. Sa seanchóras ní raibh ach trí cheapachán ón Aire agus 17 tofa ón bpoba…

Seasann an argóint a dhein mé níos luaithe. Má táimid ag caint mar gheall ar dhaonlathas agus guth na bpobal a bheith cloiste, ba cheart go mbeadh vótáil i gceist chun baill den bhord a roghnú in ionad iad a bheith ainmnithe. Laistigh dár leasuithe, Uimh. 3, 5 agus 22, bheadh ionadaithe cinnte i go leor de na Gaeltachtaí atá róbheag le guth a fháil agus iad caite isteach le ceantair mhór thíre. Níl ach idir 2% agus 4% den daonra Gaeltachta i nGaillimh, Dún na nGall agus Corcaigh lonnaithe ar na hoileáin. Ag an am c…

Tá ardmheas agam ar an Aire, mar is eol dó, ach ní féidir liom glacadh leis an argóint sin i dtaobh na gceapachán. Más eisean atá mar Aire nó duine a thagann ina dhiaidh mar Aire, conas a mbeadh a fhios againn go mbeadh na scileanna agus na tuiscintí cuí ag an Aire úd sin na daoine cearta a cheapadh? Conas a mbeadh a fhios againn? An freagra ná go bhfuil an tAire freagrach don Teach seo. Conas a mbeadh a fhios againn go mbeadh na scileanna cuí ag na Teachtaí Dála istigh sa Teach? Níl a fhios againn. Má tá cáilíocht…

Tairgim leasú Uimh 5: Ar leathanach 11, líne 16 agus líne 17 a scriosadh agus an méid seo a leanas a chur ina n-ionad: "16 chomhalta thofa a cheapfar de réir Chuid IVA.”;

Tairgim leasú Uimh. 7: Ar leathanach 11, líne 19 a scriosadh agus an méid seo a leanas a chur ina hionad: “(2AA) Ceapfaidh comhaltaí an Údaráis cathaoirleach agus leas-chathaoirleach óna measc féin uair sa bhliain, ag déanamh malartú chun a chinntiú nach mbeidh níos mó ná tréimhse amháin mar chathaoirleach nó mar leas-chathaoirleach le linn téarma amháin ag duine nó daoine a dhéanann ionadaíocht thar ceann an chontae chéanna, agus ag cinntiú gur as contaetha éagsúla iad an cathaoirleach agus an leas-chathaoirleach.…