I am glad to get this opportunity to raise a few issues that are preventing people from obtaining planning permission to be able to do the most basic thing in life, that is, to build a home and put a roof over their heads. At a time when the Government is struggling to house massive numbers of people who are on the social housing list and people from other countries who are fleeing wars and conflicts, it is ironic that the Government and its agencies are doing their level best to prevent people building a house whi…

Does the Taoiseach want to blackguard me and the people of Kerry with the answer that he is after giving me there, because he answered very little of what I asked? He travelled to Tipperary and other places and talked about goodies that he says he is carrying around the country. I am talking about the Ring of Kerry and the national primary and secondary routes where people are totally denied the opportunity even to apply for planning permission. They cannot apply for it. The Taoiseach agreed with me the last time I…

I have nothing at all against refugees or asylum seekers. How could I have anything against people I do not even know? We all feel for people who are fleeing war and conflict in other countries. However, it is clear this Government has an open-door policy, but it has not accommodation sorted out and services like doctors, teachers, schools and all those things in place. The Government landed over 4,000 extra people into Killarney without having one extra doctor. That is not fair on the people who have lived all the…

I thank Sinn Féin for introducing this motion. I mean no slight on the Minister of State, but it is a shame and disgrace that the Minister for Health is not here. There is no excuse good enough for that. He has been playing to the gallery all the week. He launched some initiative to put ads on bottles, drinks or whatever and announced that Ireland is the first country in the world to do that. At the same time, this Government is suggesting that pubs in cities should remain open until 6 a.m. That is a complete contr…

I welcome the opportunity to support this Bill brought forward by Sinn Féin. I thank Deputy Brady for doing the work and bringing it forward. This Bill aims to prevent the National Treasury Management Agency from investing in businesses that operate in illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. I support this aim. We know our own story. We were an oppressed nation for 700 or 800 years and these people are clearly also being oppressed. Sadly, children are being killed every day. Even though I do respect our ne…

I am back again to raise the issue of Kilcummin and to ask the Minister to reconsider the request to waive the connection fee to connect residents to the new Kilcummin sewerage scheme, which is currently under construction. I ask this in light of the positive decision a couple of weeks ago by the Government to waive levies and fees in certain instances. I want this scheme for the people of Kilcummin to be included and the levies and fees waived. It is the first scheme I know about that Irish Water is carrying out i…

The Minister of State and the Government are throwing it over to Irish Water but they will take credit for what is being done and for the money they have given. I am asking for the connection fee to be waived. I have been involved in schemes like this all my life. My family is still involved in doing the schemes. I know what the cost of the scheme would be. There is no way in the world Irish Water could charge €20,000 more per connection to install the pipe for 50 to 70 houses. The Minister of State should check it…

But sure ye do not have the money.

A contract is in place. If the Government is asking the contractors to do more than is outlined in the contract, surely it must give them the few bob more to do it.

It is grand to have meetings, but something has to come from a meeting. The Government gave the waiver in the other instances. It could give it for this as well if it wanted to, but it does not want to.

I am sharing time with Deputy Nolan. I am not exaggerating when I say planning permission in Kerry is very difficult to obtain at present and is becoming more and more difficult as the days go on. I have raised previously with the Taoiseach the issue of national primary and national secondary roads. It is ironic to think it was he who gave TII the powers in 2013, as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, that have prevented a whole lot of people and families, whether they are farmers or relatives of farmers, fr…

The Government is wondering why the food in the shops is dear but it is a fact that the farmers were taxed to such an extent last year that they had to raise the prices of their produce. Now, when people are complaining, it is the farmers who will be hit. They have already been asked to reduce the price of milk. It went down by 12 cent to 15 cent per litre in most co-operatives over the past three months. In talking about those co-operatives, we should note there was no regulation of the cost of fertiliser. The sup…

I am glad to get the opportunity to talk about this serious matter. It is a fact that the exorbitant cost of electricity has driven many people demented. The Minister of State's buddy, the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is specifically responsible for not ensuring the energy regulator does its job. The regulator has not done its job and there has been no account from the regulator through all this unmitigated mess. Other countries put a cap on the electricity. We asked the Government to do the same, day after day in …

Since the Government closed Shannonbridge and Lanesborough peat power plants in the middle of the country, it has come to light that it has been importing woodchip from Brazil. As has been said already, it has been importing peat from Latvia and it also imported coal from Russia to keep the Tarbert plant going. Since Shannonbridge and Lanesborough were closed, the cost of electricity has gone up every day. A new compensation payment scheme for farmers - the agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES - stipulates …

When is the Government going to call stop to this nonsense?

The people of Ireland, especially the people in rural Ireland, are really angry to think that the Government will try to stop or prevent them from cutting turf on their own lands.

It is oversubscribed. The Minister of State should not try to get people out of the scheme by saying that if they are cutting turf on their lands, their payments will be cut. That is very wrong.

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on this important matter. A good and vibrant construction industry is vital for the way forward for our country. As someone who has employed people all of my life, I understand and know what it is to employ people safely and pay them properly. Friday evening comes very quickly when businesses employ people who need and have to be paid. They will not last too long if we do not pay them. I am glad that people are now properly paid, which is very good because they work for th…

All right. I am glad to get this opportunity. We must do more to entice young people into the construction industry, because we are at a crisis point in trying to find young people to come on board. We need to address that situation urgently.

I am glad to get the opportunity to talk about this serious matter. It is a fact that the exorbitant cost of electricity has driven many people demented. The Minister of State's buddy, the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is specifically responsible for not ensuring the energy regulator does its job. The regulator has not done its job and there has been no account from the regulator through all this unmitigated mess. Other countries put a cap on the electricity. We asked the Government to do the same, day after day in …