I move amendment No. 65: In page 56, line 20, after “persons” to insert “, including Irish speakers,”.

It is hard to believe that this is still ongoing. We had the broadcaster before the Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media and various other committees and it is just blatant about this. It fobbed us off by saying it was carrying out a review. We asked whether this specific issue would be under review and it said yes. The broadcaster did not come back to us on the issue and we had to chase it up with it. The broadcaster then said the issue was not under review and is deliberately ignoring the fact. I …

The Minister got pretty much the same type of correspondence. She said she requested exactly what RTÉ will do but I think the organisation is biding its time on this. If this amendment is not accepted by the Minister, RTÉ will eventually fob her off. I guarantee her, although I hope I am wrong, that it will fob her off. If the amendment is not accepted and included in legislation and RTÉ's hand is not forced, I guarantee it will not do it. For this reason, I ask the Minister to accept the amendment. As my colleague…

The Government's eleventh-hour announcement is welcome but, let us be honest, it was forced to act. It had absolutely no intention of making the announcement in the absence of a public backlash and political pressure. This whole farce comes from the absolutely ridiculous contracts entered into by Fianna Fáil years ago. I have been raising this issue here since I was elected in 2016 because Drogheda is the only town in Ireland with tolled slip roads. These have had a detrimental effect on the town. You have to pay a…

Will the Minister provide details of any plans she has for the hotel and accommodation sector in 2023, with particular regard to the effect of the Ukrainian refugee crisis on the sustainability of the sector? Will she will make a statement on the matter, please?

As the Minister is aware, the tourism sector is coming out of a very difficult few years after Covid-19 restrictions, on top of which there are the cost-of-living crisis, the energy crisis and the influx of refugees from the Ukrainian conflict. However, media reports yesterday covered the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation, ITIC, issuing of a report, Irish Tourism: Impact of Ukrainian Conflict. The report says that Ireland is an outlier in Europe in regard to its over-reliance on tourist beds for refugees. The re…

About 80% of refugees have been put up in facilities outside of Dublin. That means the knock-on effect on those areas is particularly harsh when it comes to tourism. The ITIC also estimates there could be a loss of up to €1 billion in earnings and hundreds of job losses. That represents a serious threat to the industry. The Minister said the Government is looking at a rapid house building programme, but in all fairness, how long have we been hearing that? As the Minister said, the pressure will really be on in earn…

Has the Minister had any communications with RTÉ on the matter of pay discrepancies between workers in Raidió na Gaeltachta and those in English language RTÉ radio stations, and will she will make a statement on the matter?

As the Minister said, I have raised this at several committees, including the joint committee with responsibility for media and the Committee of Public Accounts. When I raised the issue at the Committee of Public Accounts, the RTÉ representatives at that time gave a commitment to review the situation. We chased it up with them because we had got no response, and they came back eventually and said that was not happening. While I appreciate the response the Minister got, when I first raised this at the Committee of P…

That is very much appreciated. What I would suggest, and we will do this at committee level, is to request detail and a timeframe from RTÉ. It is funded by the licence payer. A practice of discrimination against Irish language workers is just not tolerable. I want them to prove me wrong but, up until now, they have not given me much faith. The Minister may be able to assist the committee in looking for specific detail as to what stage the review is at, what the review entails specifically in this area to address th…

The retained fire service carries out an invaluable service in all communities right across the State. The work its members undertake involves a significant sacrifice, yet their pay and working conditions do not match the significant time, effort and sacrifice involved. Therefore, it is little wonder that the service is haemorrhaging firefighters. The loss of such dedicated, highly trained and experienced personnel represents a huge loss to the service and has to be addressed. The result of the loss of personnel is…

First, I wish to raise the issue of the Drogheda wastewater treatment plant. I have seen media reports that Irish Water has said that it is executing a programme of capital works at the plant through 2021 and 2022, but we have yet to see any benefit whatsoever from those works. The ongoing issue of foul odours has been raised multiple times by residents, and the EPA has issued directives to Irish Water and the plant operators many times to deal with those issues. That residents are complaining of smells is also an …

Second, the treatment plant is not up to capacity to reach Drogheda's projected population increase. During a tour of the Staleen water treatment plant in August 2018, I asked the representatives at the plant whether the plant would be able to deliver increased volumes of treated water to Drogheda and south Louth. I was told repeatedly by Irish Water representatives at that meeting that it would not be able to deliver the volumes of treated water required to meet Drogheda's projected growth. The growth is happening…

I welcome the chance to speak to this Bill. It is a short technical Bill that will provide the statutory basis to allow the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to increase the aggregate level of funding that will be made to Fáilte Ireland. The ceiling currently is €300 million and the Bill will see it increase to €500 million. Sinn Féin will support the Bill. Fáilte Ireland is, of course, a very important organisation and is integral to our tourism industry. Tourism is Ireland's biggest indigenous industry. …

I am glad the Minister for Justice is here. I will raise the sense of abandonment my constituents in Meath East feel with regard to Garda resources. As the Minister will know, there is a Garda station there that is not fit for purpose and which is only manned from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. despite the fact that there is a population of more than 32,000 in the area. The Garda Commissioner's office has said that the Office of Public Works, OPW, is preparing proposals but my constituents in Meath East are asking whether we hav…

This is about the fifth time I have raised this issue. There are tens of thousands of medical card holders across the State who cannot access a dentist for almost two years now. Just think about that - almost two years without access to a dentist. What other western country, or government for that matter, would allow something like that to continue? There are people with serious illnesses, cancer, diabetes or complex dental needs. There are people living in pain. Who in government is taking responsibility? It is cl…

I asked for a date.

He has no date.

He has no date; he could not care less.

I could say that I do not think the Minister and his Government have any idea of the real stress that their housing policy is causing people but, at this stage, I believe they really could not care less. People are languishing on housing lists for up to 12 years. There are people who are unable to afford asking prices for rent. They cannot afford a place to live. People in receipt of HAP do not have a hope. I will raise the case of a constituent living in east Meath who is on a Dublin City Council housing list but …