The Minister made a promise to teachers and other front-line workers such as members of the Garda that they would get the vaccine in order that we could keep schools open and gardaí on the road. Will he follow up on that and ensure he adheres to the promises he made?

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. There has been much talk about remote working and of people working from home. What about people who do not have homes or broadband? What about the towns and villages in Kerry? I remind the Government Chief Whip, who orchestrated this event today in order that Fine Gael Deputies could praise the Government, of that fact. What is he going to do about the towns and villages which have either no sewerage schemes or ones that are inadequate and where people cannot build houses as a re…

The Government Chief Whip-----

The Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath, and the Minister of State in attendance, Deputy Ossian Smyth, should note that nothing I have to say about the Government or Project Ireland 2040 is in any way personal. I am glad to have the opportunity to talk about the plan because it is a very serious matter. It will affect many in rural Ireland. It is a laugh to think that we are considering a plan for 20 years when the Government does not actually know what is going to happen in four or three weeks' time. I believe it doe…

I am glad to get the opportunity to talk on this important Bill. I thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh and Sinn Féin for giving us the opportunity. I recognise and appreciate what the men and women in Moore Street did more than 100 years ago to secure our freedom. We are all joined here, regardless of the political party to which we are affiliated or otherwise, to appreciate those people who fought and gave their lives for our freedom. There are places in Kerry where people fought. The people involved included men and women fr…

I wish to ask the Government to open up construction for all those who have not been working for the past four or five months. I wish to ask the Taoiseach respectfully to increase the numbers who can go into a church for a funeral mass. I ask him to take into consideration size and height and capacity of places such as cathedrals and big churches and to increase the numbers. Fr. Gearóid Walsh was on our local radio last week and he said that we have a professor for everything, but no professor or position has been …

There is no time up on the screen.

I respect the problem that the Taoiseach and the Government has. The problem though is we are not getting the figures down and if that is to continue, the Government will have to be sensible and allow sectors of the community to open and to work. The Government must trust people. People working on farm buildings can keep away from each other, as can people working on building a rural one-off house or a small estate. Other groups, such as small traders and shopkeepers, are also under severe pressure from multination…

I raise with the Taoiseach the issue of the looming deadline for the registration of public rights of way. That registration is to be concluded by 30 November this year. In light of the travel restrictions arising from Covid, which are affecting engineers, solicitors and those families who cannot visit solicitors or meet engineers, I ask that this deadline be extended for at least another five years. Many people do not know that this process is ongoing, or should be ongoing, at this present time. To give the land r…

I thank Sinn Féin for facilitating this debate. I will be supporting the Bill. As I have said before, adoptees are entitled to know who they are and where they come from. If their parents do not want to meet with them or whatever, that is fine. That is their business and they are entitled to do that too. These human beings are entitled to know who they are, however. I have to say to the Minister that the Government has behaved very badly over the past few months on the issue of mother and baby homes. It was trying …

Holy Family National School, Rathmore, is a thriving national school in east Kerry. I am glad that it has got the green light for an extension as it is very tight on room. However, it is seeking 0.16 of an acre from the HSE, which is sited next door. I ask the Taoiseach, the Minister for Education and the Minister for Health to come together and give this required amount of land to the management of Holy Family National School. As I have outlined, it is a tiny school and the numbers are going up and up. They need t…

I too want to highlight the lack of broadband connectivity in rural areas to help students. I am aware that several students are travelling to hubs or to the homes of neighbours who have broadband or whatever in order to try to access their courses. I ask the Minister to recognise the difficulties that exist in rural areas. I ask that the Minister be on the ball this year when and if students have to access accommodation. We had the story last year where students sought accommodation, got it and paid for it but whe…

I am glad to have an opportunity to talk on this very important matter. Housing is the dominant issue that we are asked about every day. I appreciate that the Minister is trying to do something about it. While I might not agree with the Land Development Agency aspect, it is not personal. It is my view versus the Minister's. I, too, compliment the local authority in Kerry on what it has done in very difficult times to provide housing. While it has a fairly hefty housing list all the time, it continues to do its best…

I respectfully wish to highlight the problems with forestry felling licences. Very few are being granted despite the Bill that was passed recently in the Dáil. Munster Joinery employs 1,400 people on the Cork-Kerry border and has done so for years. Kelly's of Ballydesmond has been supplying the timber to the Munster Joinery plant for many years. However, since 9 September last year, Kelly's has not brought one stick of timber into that plant. The company has put in 27 applications for felling licences but none of t…

Are people in the forestry service dragging their heels?

I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak on this very important housing matter. There is a large cohort of young people in Kerry who cannot get planning permission to build close to their family homes because of a thing called an urban-generated pressure clause. That clause is there to prevent people from coming out from towns and building in rural areas, but it is affecting people in rural areas as well. If one is not a son or daughter of a local, one cannot buy a site. People cannot get planning permission ne…

There is not going to be much left in rural Ireland now. The banks are going, the post offices have gone and many of the pubs are closed. There is not going to be much left. It is like the 2040 plan, where everything is geared towards the five big cities with planning, housing, money and all kinds of infrastructure, and rural Ireland is forgotten about. It must be recognised that if you live in a place like Shronahiree in Glencar or Derrynafeana or the Black Valley and the bank in Killorglin closes down, where are …

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on this very important matter. I thank the Social Democrats for bringing the motion before the House. I support it. People around the country are outraged at the Government and what it is doing, and has done over the past number of months, to the survivors. First, it tried to lock away the records for 30 years. What is it trying to hide? Why is it blackguarding these poor people who have been through hell on earth as it is, and have come this far? Many of them did not surv…

I too thank Deputy Doherty and Sinn Féin for giving us the opportunity to talk about this very important matter, as we did on several occasions in the previous Dáil, yet we are still where we are. A 70-year old woman received a quote for more than €800 when she went to renew her insurance last year. Her son rang the same company to see what was the matter. He was a big customer as he had a lot of vehicles. He was asked if she was actually his mother. They gave her the insurance for €370 after. Can one imagine that?…

Small suckler and sheep farmers and small dairymen in Kerry are concerned about rumours relating to the negotiations on the CAP and fear that their payments could be cut by one third and that money would be directed to eco schemes. They are worried that many farmers will not even qualify for those schemes and that much of the funding would go to administration. Subsidy payments from the EU are, and were supposed to be, compensation for farmers for producing cheaper food for the consumers of Europe. Payments are not…