I thank the Independent Group for bringing this motion forward. On the matter of free and accessible public transport, we are told and we see that Dublin city has eight times more public transport than the rest of Ireland. I ask the Minister of State to think about this fact. I reiterate that Dublin city alone has eight times more public transport than the rest of Ireland. While I appreciate there is a need for free public transport, in very rural places, such as we have in Kerry and Donegal, we must realise that i…

I welcome any Bill that will help to strengthen and make our health service better. I understand the need to regulate and ensure that the patient receives the best treatment at all times because we are all fine until we get sick. When people present with some problem, they need to be treated properly. In that vein I must mention the child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, in Kerry. The problem of teenagers and young adults being overmedicated appeared in south Kerry some months ago and now it is manifes…

Where is the regulation here?

I know the man in front of you directed you to take me to task about it.

I have been here for a while and everyone else mentioned it. It is as much a problem for me-----

-----as an elected Member-----

-----of this Chamber to raise something that is not happening and to raise an issue that has let people down. I have a proposal to make on it. I realise as much as anyone else that the staff are not there and the HSE cannot get them. Thousands of Ukrainian people have arrived on our shores. Could the English-speaking people from this country be trained up? I believe they have cars and everything. Could they be trained up to become part of the home help force even in Kerry? Just the English-speaking ones because I r…

I am glad to get the opportunity to talk about this very important matter. We all welcome anything that would help to reduce the cost of insurance and regulate the amount of claims and awards that are made. Some sizeable amounts have been given to people who were blackguarding the system, taking advantage and making false claims because we all know it has been increasing the cost of insurance. We all accept that insurance is there for a purpose. If someone has had a genuine accident - whether it is on the road, in …

Snails.

County Kerry is not included in the affordable homes scheme, contrary to what the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, told me. The cost of buying a house in Killarney or anywhere around it is between €350,000 and €500,000. On top of that, it is impossible for people who want to build their own homes to get planning permission. Family income supplement is denying people the ability to remain on housing waiting lists because they are being thrown off such lists if they are in receipt of it, having been on those lists f…

I thank Sinn Féin for the opportunity to speak on this important motion, which I support. Our group was the only one that did not congratulate the Minister on this levy in the Dáil when it was announced on budget day. This concrete and concrete block levy will add at least €5,000 to the costs for every young man or woman who is trying to build a house. It will also add millions to the cost of the Government's public works and social housing building. The price of concrete products and concrete blocks has already go…

I thank the Ministers for the positive aspects of the budget. We do not have to go through that, to be fair, but I thank them. However, what came over the Ministers to make them introduce a levy on concrete? This is supposed to the Government with the mantra of housing for all. What did it do? It put a 10% levy on concrete blocks when people are trying to fulfil their basic needs by putting a roof over their heads. A grant was allocated for farm buildings for the storage of slurry but then it was taken away by the …

I welcome the chance to talk about this budget. There are a few positive aspects and I welcome them. There are measures for third level students and primary level students but there is nothing whatsoever for secondary students. They have been left out. I welcome the increase for social welfare, for disability payments and for carers but at this juncture I have to say that carers should not be means tested. The devil is in the detail and there is a lot to it. The first thing is the 13.5% VAT rate. The Government wan…

It is ridiculous to hit such people. There is the Housing for All strategy but the Government has decided to increase the price of concrete by 10%, kick people when they are trying to start off and blow them out of existence.

I ask the Government, at this late stage, to rescind and drop that. It will stop many young fellows and young girls from putting a roof over their heads.

I, too, want to support the amendment. It is so ridiculous to be seeking to impose the carbon tax with the cost of fuel as it is. The cost of fuel being as it is today is mainly due to the Government taking the most of it in tax already. A barrel of crude oil is cheaper today than it was four years ago. I think of the prices poor people are paying at the pump. They are not paying it for fun. They are paying it to keep their cars going so they can go to work, bring their children to school and do the shopping. Not a…

I thought that the Deputy said that it was not enough.

I am against a tax increase on cigarettes again this year. I would much prefer that more money be spent on education and ensuring our young population does not start smoking. I know smoking is bad for people but I worry about two things when it comes to increasing the tax on cigarettes for people who are addicted. Many of them would tell you that they have no other diversion but smoking their cigarettes at a certain time of the day or night. The price is hurting them. The price of everything has gone up. There is a…

I, too, welcome the late-night exemptions. Many of these businesses have been struggling since the pandemic. It is clear that many places have not come back to the levels of patronage they had. I count this measure as only a small gesture. Much more is needed to help the night-time industry to prosper. Many of my clinics are held in public houses and I appreciate those people affording me a place to meet people. It is more than 20 years since I became a county councillor and started doing clinics. When I go around …

I am very much opposed to this so-called rainy day fund. It rains all day in Kerry and in most of the south west but it is raining on the people of Ireland at present because many of them are struggling to keep going. They live from hand to mouth and they need more assistance from the Government. Whether it is housing or whatever it is - there are many different issues - the money should be spent now. It is the people's money, the taxpayers' money. The Government has decided to take ownership of it and perhaps it w…