The reality is there is an oligopoly at the heart of European fisheries. If the Government will not name the problem, others will. I am prepared to do so here under parliamentary privilege. I refer to the so-called big five Dutch-based corporations, namely, Parlevliet & van der Plas, Cornelis Vrolijk, Van der Zwan, Alda Seafood and the De Boer family. Between them, they control an extraordinary share - almost 20% - of EU fishing effort. One in six fish caught in EU waters across the entire European Union is caught …

The Government must accept that EU fishing policy is being distorted by this reality. It warrants more than just self-congratulations and pointing to the small concession Ireland received from the European Union.

This issue needs an all-of-government approach. It must be investigated and taken very seriously.

At its core, this issue is about sovereignty, fairness and the very survival of our coastal communities. Everybody knows who these corporations are. There are published reports and investigative reports. There is clear evidence of the scale of their control and influence. They wield more control than does a sovereign member state of the EU. Previous Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Administrations ceded sovereignty over our territorial waters to the European Union and now the Union is looking us in the face and regifting …

It is on the topic of stability and certainty in farm payments. I want to raise the issue of hill farmers on the Knockmealdown Mountains in County Waterford. They are currently in dispute with a landlord over exorbitant rent increases. I know the Minister will not intervene but the Department has effectively taken a side in an ongoing dispute here in holding these farmers over a barrel because no farm payments are being issued while the dispute goes on because of the requirement to provide a commonage-evidence lett…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as a bheith anseo anocht chun an cheist seo a phlé. My colleague, Deputy Cullinane, set out the position in his contribution. He and I met with this group of former Waterford Crystal workers just last week. To be honest, they are worn out by this. They have been at it for years. They have had years of being fobbed off. These are decent, hardworking men. They worked hard and honestly for Waterford Crystal. They were made redundant. They were kept in the dark at that time about their opt…

The Minister stated in his response: "The question regarding the provision of leaving service options is one for the employer and the trustees, rather than the State." The first part of the sentence is true. At the time these workers were made redundant, it was incumbent on the employer and the trustees to provide full information. The State, however, has a role in vindicating rights and ensuring compliance with not just the letter but the spirit of the law. It must ensure, in instances where there is a difference …

What planet are the Ministers on? Is that really the best they can come up with? The devastating impact of post office closures on all communities, rural and urban, is leaving residents without access to essential financial, social and State services. These are important social services that should be provided elsewhere but are only available in the post office and from that network. What we are saying on this side of the House aligns with the long-standing warnings not just from Sinn Féin, but from the Irish Postm…

The Government's hands-off approach is a betrayal of rural Ireland. Post offices are the heartbeat of communities, providing lifelines for older people, small businesses and families. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, backed up by the Healy-Rae and Lowry Independents, have stood by as that network collapses, refusing to implement solutions put forward by the IPU, Sinn Féin and others. It is great to come in here with nostalgia and twee stories and talk about how, if communities only used their post office more, they might…

Hear, hear.

The Minister took a portion of time there.

Tá an Ghaelainn fite fuaite lenár n-aitheantas mar náisiún agus mar phobal. Is teanga bhríomhar bheo í le stair ársa agus todhchaí gheal. I mo chlannsa agus i mo phobal, is í an Ghaelainn ár dteanga laethúil, ár dteanga chumarsáide, ár dteanga thuisceana, ár dteanga ghraidhin agus ár dteanga ghrá. Is fíor é seo i ngach cheantar Gaeltachta agus, ar ndóigh, in an-chuid clann ar fud na hÉireann. I mo chlannsa agus i mo phobal, is Seachtain na Gaeilge é gach seachtain. Tá mé mórtasach agus bródúil go bhfuil mo theanga …

Tearmann agus tobar na nGael: is é sin an cur síos is fearr atá agam ar ár gceantair Ghaeltachta. Is tearmann iad i gcomhar ár dteanga, ár gcultúr dúchais, ach chomh maith leis sin, is tobar as ar féidir le gach uile duine in Éirinn agus gach Gael ar fud an domhain, saibhreas an teanga a fháil agus é a bheith roinnte agus dáilte ina measc. Tá na pobail Ghaeltachta gann ar pháistí chun scoileanna áitiúla a choimeád ar oscailt agus cumainn spóirt - clubanna Chumann Lúthchleas Gael agus uile - a choimeád beo. Tá siad …

That is not the view of the largest landlord in the State.

How many times has the Tánaiste met them?

The ones who have a home.

The Leinster House comedy club.

Bailíodh breis is €41,000 i bPort Láirge chun clinic soghluaiste máithreachais a chur ar fáil do mhná i nGaza. Tá an t-aonad seo i gCaireo na hÉigipte faoi láthair mar nach bhfuil cead aige dul isteach i nGaza. Tá mná ag iompar agus ag saolú leanaí i gcoinníollacha contúirteacha, míshláintiúla agus mídhaonna. Over €41,000 was raised by Gaeil ar son Gaza in order to fund a mobile maternity clinic for women in Gaza. This unit is currently stuck in Cairo in Egypt because they are not being permitted entry into Gaza. A…

In the south east, there are 330 adults and 113 children officially recorded as homeless. That is 70 families. In County Waterford alone, 110 adults and 37 children are in local authority-funded emergency accommodation. Those are only the official figures; they are the tip of the iceberg. They reflect people in local authority accommodation but they do not capture the hidden homelessness that every public representative in this Chamber encounters weekly - certainly those of us who operate clinics and have a listeni…

There was a time when every town and village had a family doctor. They were rooted in the community and known to everybody across generations. Today, that model is under real strain in urban areas but particularly in rural Ireland. GPs are the anchor of our health system. They are the gateway into our health system in most cases. They provide long-term, continuous care from cradle to grave, yet successive governments have failed to plan properly for primary care. In 2001, the Future Together report warned about sho…