Deputy Gannon will be in possession when the debate resumes.

I am being contacted by people who are at their wits' end. Rising energy prices are terrifying, especially for those experiencing poverty or on fixed incomes. One constituent on a prepaid system told of having literally seen her money run out and of having to choose between keeping the lights on or going into arrears. This has massive implications for individuals and families. Not only does it erode their quality of life but it has real and lasting health implications. It will worsen existing conditions and the she…

I want to start by thanking Deputy Tully for enabling this important discussion. Disabled people and their families only ever want what they are entitled to. In briefings by disabled persons' organisations, in meetings with distressed and frustrated parents and in all the reports from organisations, they say they just need proper services. They are not looking for anything exorbitant of for special treatment; they are just looking for what they deserve and are fighting for their rights. Disabled people have the rig…

Successive governments have not capitalised on the incredible renewable energy potential in our coastal waters. Not only could we take significant climate action, secure energy sovereignty, prevent future crises like this price crisis and threats of blackouts, but we could be selling energy to other jurisdictions. In the past year two major energy companies have withdrawn from the Irish market citing issues with our policy and legislation framework. What is the Government doing to address these issues? There is a s…

I thank the Independent Group for enabling this very important discussion. There is no good argument against free and accessible public transport. It helps to improve employment and social connections, it reduces dependence on cars and it frees up the roads for people who must use them. Despite the many benefits, many people who need public transport have to fight for this service or are simply denied it. Over the past few months, I have been helping families to access school transport, and a situation in Goleen wa…

The costs of construction are rising sharply. Yesterday, we learned that child homelessness increased by 40% over the past year in counties Cork and Kerry. In the middle of a housing disaster, with thousands of families homeless and a whole generation trapped in a cycle of ever-increasing rents, it is increasingly expensive to build a home. Somehow, the Government's response is to make it even more expensive. This defective concrete products levy will add up to €4,000 to the price of a house. I reiterate that it wi…

Family resource centres provide invaluable services in communities across the country. They are a place that people can go to for assistance, support and information on everything from State services and training opportunities to counselling. They are a one-stop-shop for many vulnerable individuals and groups, including lone parent families, older people, people experiencing poverty and addiction and many others. Given that we know one of the primary indicators of poverty in Ireland is lone parent families, the typ…

I thank the Minister of State for his commitment to family resource centres. They are an essential public support service. The centres in Cork South-West represent the incredible success they can be in helping groups and individuals. However those same centres also illustrate the weakness in the model, with insufficient funding and reliance on local goodwill and circumstances, rather than systematic supports. The funding allocations the Minister of State mentioned are welcome and great but they do not address the i…

The Minister of State will be aware of the massive increases in operational costs faced by the hospitality sector this year. Electricity prices are skyrocketing and food prices are up significantly, while insurance and other expenses are putting businesses at risk. While I of course welcome the measures for small and medium-sized enterprises announced yesterday, the budget also quietly included a rise in the VAT rate for the hospitality sector in March from 9% to 13.5%. Any supports allocated to the sector will obv…

I raised similar points with the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, last week but I am not convinced that the Government appreciates how many family-run businesses and SMEs are close to closing. It is likely that many will at least shut temporarily during the winter and some may not reopen without proper support. The VAT rate for the sector is increasing in March. The exorbitant prices people have to pay for some Dublin hotels was cited as a rationale for the change to VAT …

While I acknowledge that there is lots of Government engagement with the sector, ultimately there is a significant discrepancy between what tourism and hospitality businesses in Cork south west are telling me and the messaging from the Minister of State, his Department and others. The Government must be getting similar briefings to the ones I am getting but the urgency and need is not being reflected in Government policy or in the budget. I recognise that this is a cross-departmental matter and appreciate the Minis…

The €11 billion figure can by default sound like a success but this budget is a failure to invest in State services. The headline tax cuts may look good, but in reality, they are very poor value for people. At nearly €11 billion, this budget could have been a change one. This budget should have been about investing in our public services. Public services are getting by on threadbare budgets while the Government tax cuts will disproportionately benefit the better-off. The €1.1 billion income tax package should be us…

Back in May, when I raised the ongoing and non-evidence-based restrictions on water births, the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, told me: Our maternity system is not sufficiently midwife-led. I think it should be. I agree with him. Last month, a HSE report with no input from midwives recommended limiting home births to women who live within 30 minutes of a maternity hospital. In effect, that would mean people in large swathes of west Cork, Kerry, Clare, Roscommon, Wicklow, Donegal and Monaghan, as well as substantial p…

Small and medium enterprise are facing into a bleak winter with rapidly increasing energy and operating costs. Shops, restaurants and many other businesses on main streets across west Cork and all of rural Ireland are looking at closing. We have seen this before and some of them might not reopen. That will have a detrimental impact on our towns and villages. How is the Minister proposing to support SMEs to meet these rising energy bills?

I appreciate all those schemes and am sure businesses will look into them but they are more long-term solutions. Many small businesses cannot go on at the moment. They need more immediate solutions given rising energy bills, operating costs, insurance, rates, food and the list goes on. The Minister knows shops, cafés and many other local enterprises are really fearful of the winter. Just as we are getting over the impact of the pandemic they face inflationary pressures, especially with energy prices. I have so many…

I just want to emphasise again that some of these businesses are literally weeks away from closing their doors without significant intervention from the Minister. Potentially thousands of people could end up on social welfare for the winter, not to mention the closure of businesses and confidence in our towns and villages. Even a temporary closure means less foot traffic, fewer people visiting the area and it has severe knock-on effects. The Minister knows one closed business in a small town or village has a really…

FUSS Ireland was outside Leinster House again today. We are two weeks into the new school year and there are many children and young people with special needs and disabilities who do not have appropriate school places. In Cork South-West I have been working with families since this time last year who warned the Department and pleaded for the resources to ensure their children could exercise their right to education. One child with autism spectrum disorder, ASD, whose name is Charlie, has been moved between three pr…

What do we say to these parents?

The excavation of the Tuam site, the identification of victims and the dignified burial of remains will happen only because of the work of Catherine Corless, survivor groups, campaigners and their relatives and allies. Any attempts to intervene at Tuam and other locations have been resisted by governments and the State for decades. A rotten partnership between the State and the Roman Catholic Church perpetuated these abuses and actively opposed any form of accountability and justice. The Tuam mother and baby home a…

The proposed reduction in the number of beds in the mental health unit in Bantry General Hospital is extremely worrying. The unit provides a vital service for west Cork in treating people in their own locality. Since the news broke, many people have been speaking about the fantastic help they received in the unit including, in some cases, life-saving assistance. I cannot emphasise enough how important these beds are for west Cork. The planned decrease from 18 to 11 beds is due to a finding from the Mental Health Co…