Do not ever accuse me of racism or anything like that. We have refugees in Killarney for the last 20 years and I-----

I took them to the North of Ireland to get their eyes seen after when no one here would do it.

I will not take the Deputy's rubbish.

That was another stunt by the Government.

I admire the people of Germany who are actually opening up a coalmine to keep their people warm. What did the Government here try to do? It tried to stop people cutting turf to keep themselves warm. I can tell each and every one of those in government that in the last four or five weeks, people appreciate a fire when they have nothing else and they have no other option given to them. I am one of those people who is burning turf in my fire, and they can go to blazes, the whole lot of them. A lot of other people will…

It is one minute and 30 seconds. What it is doing is selling out our land to English investment funds. We spent 800 years trying to get rid of the English and here they are, letting them back again to buy what land they can.

The Acting Chairman kept interrupting me when I was not anywhere near the time.

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on this very important issue. When we talk about health in Kerry, we know people suffer immensely when trying to get into University Hospital Kerry. There are waiting times and people are waiting on trolleys. Ambulances are arriving and the staff cannot take in the patients from the ambulance. That is not acceptable. The ambulances are held up, the patients are held up and the whole thing is a disaster. We have to go back 12 or 14 years when there were wards closed in Tral…

Have I gone into someone else's time?

I am glad to get the opportunity to say a few words about Bobby. I welcome his wife, children, brothers and all his family. Bobby was a wonderful man. We became very close friends during the few years we were together in Dáil Éireann. Indeed, I have to say that Bobby was everyone's friend. He loved his family, politics, farming and hurling - all the things country people tend to live for. He served his people with distinction and was a proud Member of the Dáil. He told me how elated he was when he won back his seat…

I have no personal gripe with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, but we have serious problems in Kerry. I have highlighted them several times already. There are 171 voids in County Kerry. That is not acceptable. The homeless centre that operated for years in Killarney has closed down because the Government has offered people €800 tax-free per month to house Ukrainians and refugees. That is €1,600 with tax. There are homeless people in Kerry. Did the Minister ever consider putting them in hotel…

I am glad to get the opportunity to talk on this topic. Once again, this large carryover demonstrates the delays by the Government in undertaking the required infrastructure that is much needed by the country, including public housing. We know the delays and interruptions to capital projects as a consequence of the country dealing with Covid-19 were responsible for the significant increase in capital carryover compared with the previous year. However, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine cannot be blamed for the lar…

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing this very important motion to the Chamber. It gives us a chance to highlight some of the needs and deficiencies in our constituencies. In County Kerry, and in Killarney in particular, we have a critical lack of GPs to service the needs of the people across a massive area. Over 4,000 extra people - refugees and asylum seekers - have landed into Killarney in recent months. Many of these refugees are mothers with young children. They need vaccinations and all of the things that children …

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak about this Bill. Like all of us who have been elected to this House, we know that gambling addiction causes problems that lead to the breakup of marriages, homes and relationships and clean out businesses and farms. It is like everything; if you do it in moderation, it is fine. As with a few drinks or any substance, a little bit in moderation is fine. When it takes over, becomes an addiction and becomes compulsive, gambling can be a serious problem in many households. It h…

There is nobody here, only me.

I am glad for the opportunity, first to welcome all the people here in the Gallery who have been affected by the light-touch regulations provided for by previous Governments. We see it here in Dublin, in Donegal, in Mayo and in different counties. When we talk about Donegal, we must remember that in Donegal houses are falling down around the people. We remember Bridie Gallagher in the 1960s and 1970s who sang about the homes in Donegal, even in my father's pub. Donegal people, and everyone, depend on their homes an…

I thank the Independent Group for giving us this opportunity. Earlier, the Minister boasted that he had spent so much money on footpaths and cycleways. That is fine where they are needed around towns and villages but what good is a cycleway, walkway or footpath in a place like Gneeveguilla or Shrone where it takes half an hour to go to work or wherever else in the morning and people have children with them and everything else? What benefit is that to those people? It is absolutely ridiculous. The Government's prima…

Farmers are being vilified and castigated day after day in this Chamber and, indeed, by the media and other commentators in relation to emissions. They are being told they have to reduce emissions by 25%. However, many farmers believe they are carbon neutral and are sequestering more carbon than they are emitting. Why is no measurement taking place to determine what is going on? How do you know what you can spend if you do not know what is in your bank account?

What good is that because it is going on every day?

What about the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications?