I am glad to get the opportunity to say a few words. Even though the time is short, I am grateful for it. I have to say to the members of the Labour Party that they must realise that the longer businesses are shut and the longer the doors are closed, the harder it will be to get these people's businesses back open again. It is far easier to shut places down and to keep them locked down. It is much harder to open them up. As a business person who has employed people, I know the value of business to the working perso…

Does the Labour Party realise that people need to finish off their homes and put a roof over their heads? Do its members want to keep them in the wilderness for longer? Is that what they are about?

That is not so.

That is not so. I worked on the road like all the rest of the workers. I worked side by side with them.

Late last year, I raised the issue of delays in driving tests in County Kerry, especially in Killarney and Tralee. I thank the Taoiseach for his intervention at that time. Things improved then but they are now worse than ever. Looking forward, it seems we have a six-month waiting time to get a driving test. Essential workers who can provide a letter saying the driving test is for an essential need will be accommodated. The problem, however, is that driver testers are sending people home even when a slot is availabl…

People in places like Valentia Island, Ballinskelligs, Brosna or Gneeveguilla are left stranded without a licence and cannot go to work.

I ask the Taoiseach to intervene again.

I am glad of the opportunity to talk on this important matter. I support the call for the increase in the fuel allowance and to allow others on social welfare to access the fuel allowance. As has already been mentioned, 15 months is too long for someone to wait if he or she cannot afford heating. My real problem is with the Government and its policies that increase the cost of fuel, coal and briquettes and put them out of the reach of ordinary people who are on social welfare or the old age pension. Those people ha…

If it is, the Taoiseach will never be heard of again. If he stops the people in Kerry-----

-----and rural areas from cutting turf-----

The people of Ireland-----

I am glad to get the opportunity to talk on this important matter. Children are vulnerable and, as elected representatives, we must do everything to ensure they are properly looked after. This time of virus has been a concerning and upsetting time for many children. They are away from their schools, hobbies and friends. Many teachers in many schools are entrusted with the job of seeing that children are fed properly, given meals and looked after in certain ways. I worry that they have been missing all this for most…

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on this topic. I thank Deputy Pringle and the Independent Group for giving us the chance to do that. Since becoming an elected Member many years ago, the most predominant problem that presents on a daily basis is housing for people. In Kerry there is a great housing department in the local authority, which does its level best to look after those who present for social housing, and continues to do so in tough times when there is little funding. We seem to be doing very well…

I wish to raise the lack of funding for Kerry roads on our local improvement scheme, LIS, list. This scheme has been in place for more than 40 years to resurface public roads not in the charge of the local authority. I am talking about public roads, not private roads. To qualify for the LIS, there must be at least two landholdings. I know of several roads that have anything from eight or nine landholdings and five to 20 or more houses. County Kerry's new 2020 list started out with 707 applications that were priorit…

Yes, the local improvement scheme.

I thank the Taoiseach for his reply so far. Again, I want to make it clear that this scheme was suspended for five years from 2012 to 2017, which is why we have a savage amount of applications now. Some 697 applications are still waiting to get funding. Many of these have been waiting since 2007. I appeal to the Taoiseach. The amount of money we got last year was something in the region of €700,000. That is not enough. Like I said, if we continue in that vein of doing ten roads each year, it will take us 70 years t…

Earlier today, the Taoiseach mentioned the closing down of pubs and that he felt he was right to do so. However, 60% of the cases now being diagnosed are of the UK variant. Last year, I told the House more than once that the virus was not growing in the back yard of pubs and rather that it was coming in on airlines. The Government did nothing about it. The virus did not walk across the Irish Sea. We are an island country. I have to say that people are dead and some people will never again be the same after having t…

I am glad to get the opportunity to mention a few of the sectors that have been left behind with regard to the CRSS payment. Mineral water distributors are not closed down but more than 90% of their customers are not buying from them. In fact the distributors have to take back bottles at their own cost and dump the stuff. Taxi drivers in Killarney feel they have been let down. Some of them can get the PUP and more of them who tried to operate cannot do so because they have no customers. I went into College Street t…

I am glad to get the opportunity to speak on the Bill. Other Members have asked about the €477 million. We need more clarity on how this figure came about and how much of it applies to Ireland. I sincerely hope farmers or people who could or would have benefited from funds like this will not be denied this money as a result of this or any other fraud. None of us in the House condone or support fraud and we are certainly behind any laws that would prevent same. It was mentioned that dogs and pets are being stolen. I…

I thank Sinn Féin for giving us the opportunity to speak on this important matter. Young boys and girls, when they choose to become a nurse, see it as more than a career. It is a vocation for them and they deserve fairness and respect. A payment of €100 for a young nurse when his or her work is so demanding is not fair. We hear stories that many of them have to choose between the bus fare or food. That is not right and we cannot allow it to continue. Other tradespeople, including plumbers, plasterers, mechanics and…