I appreciate that and it has not gone unnoticed. I will finish up. Will the Minister of State please clarify this matter? This is hurting all of rural Ireland on top of all the other adverse things that have happened in recent times, with the nitrates derogation and the nature restoration law that was passed over in Europe the other day without any thought of how it was going to hurt small rural farmers in hillside places. Will the Minister of State please come out and explain where he is coming from with this? It …

Buying the electorate.

I, too, thank Deputy Tully and Sinn Féin for bringing forward this timely debate. If the Government really wanted to help carers and people with disabilities, it could have clearly done so in the budget. The disability capacity review tells us that between €80 million and €90 million was needed yet the Government only provided €64 million. The €20 million it is splashing out on this referendum would have made the difference this year. The Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, speaking on behalf of the G…

We are asking the people to vote yes for something that is going to hurt them. The people will not do that. I am asking the people out there tonight-----

-----to vote no to both proposals - no, no.

I thank the Independent Group for bringing this Bill to the House but I have my doubts and reservations about taking money out of people's pay packets and handing it over to trade unions. For too long now people have been coming to me from different sectors and walks of life to tell me that trade unions have let them down very badly. Cork University Hospital was mentioned earlier and the fact that the housekeeping staff there are not allowed to take their annual leave but their supervisors can do so. Supervisors ar…

The Minister has been in charge of her portfolio for four years now. Has she ever had any concerns since she became Minister about the massive size of payments to some presenters? Maybe some of them were worth it but I could name two that were not: Joe Duffy and Ray D'Arcy. Did the Minister ever consider how little was being paid to the people behind the scenes? Has the Minister ever inquired as to how much the board members or the executives were being paid? Did she ever inquire into any of this? Is she aware that…

Shame on you.

The Government has already finished the fishing industry. Following its MEPs' support for the vote in Brussels today, it is making sure it will kill off the agriculture industry as well. A total of 20% of our land and seas are to be excluded from farming or fishing, yet the Chinese are boasting they will have an extra 1 million cows in production this year. The South Americans are building up their herds. Why does the Government hate Irish farmers so much? Why does it hate Irish agriculture, which has been the back…

They have too much time left.

The farmers always took care of the land, more than the likes of some people------

-----and the man beside the Minister of State.

I, too, condemn the burning of any buildings or properties belonging to anyone. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. There are no two ways about it. Any right-minded man or woman would not support that kind of action. Of course, then, our own local people are very angry because if they opened their mouths and asked any questions, they were deemed to be racist. I refer to the people on the Muckross Road who held a very silent protest and then convened a meeting in the East Avenue hotel, which was attended by ove…

I am glad to have the opportunity to contribute and I thank Sinn Féin for introducing this Bill. The report shows that waiting times for an appointment were between 80 and 200 days in some CHO areas. A 60-day wait for suicidal intent services is damning. Children went without proper monitoring while on anti-psychotic medicine and children were lost when transitioning from CAMHS to adult services. Budget after budget has failed to fund CAMHS. Multi-annual budgets are needed. The morale of staff is low and they need …

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak and thank Deputy McGrath and his staff for putting this important motion together. At the outset, I want to convey my deepest sympathy to Deputy Michael Collins, a member of our group, Councillor Danny Collins and the mother of Michael Lynch. Michael was a nephew of Deputy Collins and tragically lost his life in the last few days. We pass on our condolences and sincerely wish them strength and that God will assist them in this very difficult time they are encountering. Thi…

We need more GP services. I appeal to the Minister-----

Before we close this-----

-----debate, could I just say that I am very disappointed-----

-----that no member of-----

-----People Before Profit saw fit to come to this debate today?