I am against that as well.

I too welcome the package of €235 million. I am thankful for the reduction in white diesel for hauliers and the promised rebate that is to come. I also welcome the petrol reduction for all of those who are working hard and need their car to go to work. I deplore the fact that people who need heating oil only get a reduction of 2 cent a litre, which is only €20 for a fill of a 1,000-litre tank. That is very hard. I welcome the extension of the fuel allowance, but many people are not on the fuel allowance. Many hauli…

Like every other county in Ireland and, I suppose, other places across the world, Kerry has its fair share of cancer patients. Sadly, many people have passed on at a young age as a result of cancer. As a public representative, I come across more than my share of these patients from day to day. Kerry is lacking in many ways because of the distances involved. A person with cancer who lives in Cahersiveen, Dingle, Lauragh or other places nearby is 50 miles or 60 miles from Tralee, in the first instance, and over 100 m…

The other thing we must look at is what is causing it. I have been saying that the South American beef is not vetted in the same way as Irish beef, and I am worried about that.

I am glad to get the opportunity to talk again this evening on this. I am sorry if I will be repeating some of the things that Deputy Fitzmaurice raised. It is because we are involved with the same kind of people and we are feeling for some of the people that have not been properly seen after here today. I welcome the good points that have been brought forward in relation to the white diesel and for the reduction and rebate for those who will qualify for it. Many hauliers who are very important people and who do gr…

Like all the rest of the country, the people of Kerry are suffering with the exorbitant cost of diesel, petrol and heating oil. It has come to my attention that, in Northern Ireland, it is 30 cent less per litre. As the Government is taking in almost €40 million extra in taxes a week, I am asking it to reduce the price at the pump by that amount for the people who are using it. I cannot understand when the Minister says the Government will target certain people. Every man and woman with a wheel and an engine is aff…

It must do something to rectify this situation. It is very serious.

The sooner the Government does what I am asking it to do, the better because people are going under every day with the cost of fuel on the road. Any man or woman with a wheel and an engine is already being kicked very hard at the present time. It is reported that the Government is taking in €40 million a week more in taxes. I am asking it to give that back. The Minister, Deputy Jim O’Callaghan, said today that it would be given back in targeted measures. I am asking the Government to give it back at the pump where …

I am glad to get the opportunity to speak. I thank Deputy Boyd-Barrett for bringing this to our attention. We all agree that online safety for our youngsters is of paramount importance. Our youngsters are our future, and we need to protect our future by protecting our youngsters. This is so important. It is hard for young couples rearing children today to get them to crawl and to walk and all the things before them but this is really hard for many parents to understand. Like Deputy Dolan said, we did not have to go…

We received the local improvement scheme, LIS, allocation of €1.13 million last week. While we welcome the funding, we need a lot more. This funding will just about do for between somewhere between 20 and 25 roads. There are still over 550 roads on the list. We started out with 700 back in 2018. The local authority has signalled that it could deal with 100 or 120 applications each year if it receives the funding. However, these are not private roads. There is a perception out there that maybe they are, but they are…

Will the Government give more funding or what?

These people are entitled to a good road like everyone else.

This is important. It will take 20 to 24 years to complete.

Like every other Member, I appreciate our post office network. We are sad to think that so many post offices have closed around us over the years. I remember the previous postmasters in Kilgarvan, Denis P. O'Sullivan and his brother, John O'Sullivan. Before them were Bridie and James Cronin. She used to send her brother out with the telegrams. My uncles told me a story. They met him one day going up the road with a telegram. He asked them if he had much further to go and they asked him where he was going. He told t…

I am sorry that I cannot speak Irish fluently like all of the others here who have done so this evening. I have to tell Deputy Gould that I too have two daughters who are fluent Irish speakers. One of them, Theresa, trained in Dingle, An Daingean. I want to thank the Gaeltacht communities that we have in Kerry - Baile na Sceilge, Uíbh Ráthaigh, Daingean Uí Chúis and all those areas. We are really proud of our Gaeltacht areas because we see how they have survived over the centuries and brought their language - our o…

I want to thank Sinn Féin for bringing this motion before us this evening. I welcome the gentlemen from the Gaeltacht here too this evening. I know housing is a serious issue in Dingle. I have people onto me nearly crying trying to source a house to rent. It is a fact that many people are going through this day after day. A lot of houses are taken up by tourists. The tourism sector is very important but I am telling the Minister that if we are serious about maintaining and preserving the Irish language, we need to …

I thank the Social Democrats for this very worthwhile motion. I also thank the Government for the large amount of funding that was provided for services in Kerry, including an ambulance depot for Cahersiveen, which is much needed. People there struggled in the past to get an ambulance. University Hospital Kerry received quite a lot of money to increase beds and services there. I very much welcome a minor injury unit for Killarney, where the population sometimes doubles and trebles in the summertime. The mind boggle…

I am glad to get the opportunity to speak on this very serious and important topic. Every one of us knows that Ireland is surrounded by water. We should and do own our waters and I cannot understand for the life of me how the UK is entitled to fish in the coastal waters that obtain to the 26 Counties. All up the west belongs to Southern Ireland up as far as the tip of Donegal. We should be entitled to fish it. How have they a say on us having to shed 23,000 jobs? What are these fellas going to live in? Will they li…

I thank Sinn Féin for giving us the opportunity to talk about this very important matter. I welcome all the concerned people in the Gallery. I thank all of the SNA teachers, ordinary teachers and principals we have in Kerry for the wonderful work they have been doing for the past great number of years. We all rely on teachers and need them very much. I am glad the Government paused this case and problem that was raised among our schools in Kerry last week and, indeed, right around the country. A pause is not enough…

I have three minutes. These two people came into the school from the Department, talked and went around the classrooms. That is not right and it should not happen. The Minister and Minister of State have to take the blame and ensure that does not happen again. That is what I am asking them.