The Deputy is poacher-cum-gamekeeper.

During Science Week, the Oireachtas heard presentations from Professor Martin Mullins from the University of Limerick and Professor Martin Glavin of the University of Galway on the huge potential to reduce traffic accidents through driver-assisted technology in cars. They have made a very strong argument for tax incentives to make this happen. Will the Minister consider this in the interests of reducing road deaths in Ireland?

I have two young transition year students in the Gallery this week. I am sure they have now just got a perfect example of how to spend four minutes answering a question without actually answering the question that has been put. I thank the Minister for that education. I would like him to answer the question I put to him. Will he consider looking at the issue of vehicle registration tax to try to drive an increase in road safety standards in this country? In 2022, we had the highest number of deaths on our roads in …

Every car that goes onto Irish roads should have automated emergency braking, lane departure warning, blind sport detection and drowsiness and attention detection. Those four measures alone would have a significant impact on road traffic deaths. Based on UK road safety reports for 2019 and research that was carried out on that, those types of measures would reduce skidding and overturning accidents by 41%, and pedestrian accidents by 28.4%. Sadly, to date this year, we have had 38 pedestrian deaths on our roads, wh…

There is a priority question to them next week.

The Department of Finance's submission on addressing the appalling failure of the State to support mobility for people with a disability has pointed out that the only active scheme is outdated and needs to be replaced. We heard the same story a decade ago on the motorised transport grant and the mobility allowance. When are we going to actually see some action in this area?

The reality is that people with a disability are being marooned in their own homes because of the lack of supports. The sad reality is that disabled people are only half as likely to be in employment because of their disability than someone who has full mobility. Furthermore, only 15% of women with a disability are in full-time employment. This is despite a huge staffing shortage right across the economy. They are damning figures. As the Minister is aware, the recommendation states that a needs-based, grant-aided v…

On a broadcast on Midlands 103 last week, there was a young man who is without his arm, without a limb. The motorised transport grant is closed to him, as is the mobility allowance, and he is not disabled enough to get the primary medical certificate and apply to participate in the disabled drivers scheme. Therefore, we need a scheme that allows people to engage with society and access employment. I welcome the senior officials group but what we need is ministerial leadership, either through a Cabinet subcommittee …

It is not the Chair’s fault but it is not the first time that we have been left in this silly situation in which we deny Members debating time in the House and must then suspend the House for five minutes until we actually proceed to Leader’s Questions. It is just not good enough that this happens so frequently.

I welcome the appeals process concerning the primary medical certificate. That is a positive development but we all know the current system is just not fit for purpose. The reality is that the two grants that were beneficial to people – the motorised transport grant and the mobility allowance – have been suspended for ten years. What we need is the comprehensive and swift implementation of the recommendations of the report.

I congratulate the Minister on becoming a granny again - Granny Heather - to little Charlotte who was born earlier today as she got up to speak. She is a sister for little Arthur as well. I promise the Minister that all of us here in the House will ensure the very expeditious passage of this legislation so she can spend more time babysitting over the Christmas period. A year has now passed since this House unanimously supported a motion to extend special support for all front-line workers suffering from long Covid,…

I wish to formally put on the record that I am not at all happy that a Minister from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is not present. The Minister, Deputy McConalogue, told me that he could not be here but there are two Ministers of State in that Department. It is not good enough that none of the three could be available this morning for what is an extremely urgent issue. Normally, I would refuse to accept this debate, but, sadly, the farmers, their families and others in the Shannon Callows do no…

I thank the Minister of State for her response and acknowledge her presence her but it is pitiful that none of the three Ministers could explain their absence from the House this morning. The extension to grazing lands, which was contained in the reply, is welcome. The difficulty is that farmers are being caught by a double whammy in terms of the loss of their fodder and the loss of the after grass because they have had to let stock in on some of the grazing land. It is not necessarily the floodlands themselves; it…

Approximately one in 12 people in Ireland will at some stage in life be affected by a rare disease. When family members, many of whom are carers, are included, this means approximately 825,000 Irish people are impacted by a rare disease. The Taoiseach will recall that the programme for Government published in 2020 contained a commitment to deliver a revised national rare disease plan to replace the one that lapsed in 2018. As he is aware, 29 February next is Rare Disease Day. In light of the fact that the Governmen…

Given Ireland's prominent role in the life sciences and pharmaceutical sectors, where nearly 90% of employees in these fields are engaged in patent medicine related work, the establishment of the EU unified patent court is poised to significantly benefit this country. Recognising this, the Government has expressed its intention to participate in the unitary patent system and the unified patent court. However, this necessitates an amendment to the Constitution. Is the Government still committed to the timeline the T…

The Deputy will put petrol in the tank for the Minister.

It has been a year since this House unanimously supported a motion to extend special support for all front-line workers suffering from long Covid, yet today that commitment remains unfulfilled. While the Department of Health and the HSE have agreed to extend special payments for a period in excess of 28 months to 143 healthcare staff afflicted with long Covid symptoms, we must question the exclusion of those infected over the past 730 days, that is, since 15 November 2021. These dedicated individuals who contracted…

The other workers are important too.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle and the Business Committee for selecting this debate and the Minister and Chief Whip for facilitating it. Ireland's forthcoming membership of CERN will not only provide new opportunities for Irish researchers, but also challenge the underlying ethos of research itself in this country. This funding of €2 million annually for CERN's research initiatives predominantly supports exploratory or "blue sky" research, an area where venturing into the unknown is essential and where failure is a cr…

I am unsure, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, what all of these canvassers are going to do now for the next election. They will all be very bored.