We will start with Deputy Willie Aird and his Topical Issue matter to the Minister for Health to discuss the issue of Droimnín private nursing home, Stradbally.

I apologise to Deputy Ardagh because I missed her second contribution. That concludes her Topical Issue question. I thank her. Before we proceed, I thank the Minister very much for his constituency visit with me last week. It went down very well. I very much appreciate him taking the time to come to meet the Youghal Socio-Economic Development Group.

I want to raise the issue of the return of the Midleton to Youghal railway. As a TD for the constituency of Cork East, I want to report to the House and to the Minister that the overwhelming view of constituents in my area is their desire to see further expansion of the east Cork rail corridor beyond Midleton, restoring it once again to the town of Youghal and opening the stations in the villages of Mogeely and Killeagh. The east Cork area is one of the fastest-growing regions of the country in terms of new housing…

I appreciate the feedback. It is clear there is that opportunity next year with CMATS. I want to be crystal clear and honest with people on this. Making this happen prior to the construction of an upgraded N25 between Midleton and Youghal is going to be a difficult challenge. Politically, everybody whom I have dealt with here in Dáil Éireann wants the return of the rail. That is the prevailing view of the TDs in the constituency. However, the public want a sense of a timeline for this happening. The Minister of Sta…

Deputies from around the House have been speaking about the importance of what SNAs provide in education settings for our most vulnerable students. As Deputy Connolly noted, it is very regrettable that we have ended up in this situation, where there is such anger and hurt. As a TD representing the people of Cork East who is conscious of the very good work SNAs do in our schools, I saw at first hand in my time in secondary and primary school SNAs being rolled out. I was born in 1997 so I got to see this. They make a…

I am sharing time with my colleague, Deputy O'Connell, on the important issue of flooding. I represent the constituency of Cork East and have the honour and privilege to do so in Dáil Éireann. It is well known that Storm Babet in October 2023 did unmerciful damage to a huge number of homes and businesses across the constituency. Over 800 homes and premises were badly damaged. Many people's homes were destroyed and needed very significant reconstruction works. Housing estates were overrun by flood water in the town …

The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, IFAC gave a very stern warning to the Government yesterday about our level of expenditure. What I want to raise is an important project that the Government could get behind to try to grow our domestic enterprise and entrepreneurial activity in Ireland. I gave a presentation to our parliamentary party in relation to having a national, fully supported accelerator grown and developed in a newly redeveloped IFSC. The country needs this to happen. Given my own party leader's disinteres…

This is an important question. On behalf of the people of Cork East, I want to ask about the position regarding the publication of solar guidelines. There has been an explosion in the number of solar projects across Cork East as a constituency, as well as in Deputy O'Sullivan's constituency of Cork North-Central and other parts of the country where developments have occurred, often at very large scale from 500 to 600 acres up to 2,000 acres. Could the Minister please give my constituents some clarity on this urgent…

I thank the Minister. I acknowledge that he has provided a response. As a TD, I have no issue with the need for renewable energy and the decarbonisation of our economy but when it comes in the form of using thousands of acres of land in highly commercial agricultural areas - the Cork East constituency has some of the best land in the country - that represents one issue, and the second issue is the scale of these developments. Other countries have pursued very smart strategies such as using the top of commercial and…

It will take more to deter us than a few cheap shots in op-eds in the Irish Examiner criticising me and others for having the courage to come in here and raise these matters. Deputy O'Sullivan is right that we need the guidelines. Local authorities need those guidelines and they need leadership from the Government. A message must go back to the custodians of the status quo who have let this matter carry on for so long, despite its being raised at parliamentary party level and ministerial level before the general el…

According to the Central Statistics Office there has been a drop-off of almost €50 billion in inbound foreign direct investment value into Ireland. As the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Tánaiste will understand the importance of connectivity for a small island economy. The reality is that the world economy is moving further east all of the time. Only one flight leaves this country for Asia and that is directly to China, between Beijing and Dublin. Does the Minister think there is a need for a strategy …

This is my first contribution since the Dáil returned. I look forward to the next number of months. I thank the Minister of State for his ongoing engagement regarding school transport. I will address the pilot scheme for the Kilcredan school area. When this was brought forward, a lot of us were thrilled because we felt it would bring about a permanent solution. It has been very difficult dealing with school bus issues in this area because, unfortunately, the traditional parish dynamic of rural communities, which is…

I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach. I am sorry. I apologise because I am chairing a select committee this morning, too.

Go raibh maith agat. I just wish to reiterate the point regarding the need to expedite the flood schemes for Mogeely and Castlemartyr in terms of tranche 2 schemes and for Rathcormac as well, and the importance of this being done. Deputy McCarthy and I are in the House this morning as local Government TDs. The communities impacted post Storm Babet need to see this critical flood infrastructure being put in place. They have been left in limbo for far too long. I have been repeatedly raising this matter over the last…

I raise the issue of the national average waiting time for a driver test of 14 weeks. In Dungarvan the average waiting time is 30 weeks. It is very popular with people in the east Cork area. The Tánaiste knows this is absolutely unacceptable. It has dragged on for years now. The RSA has failed to meet its targets. Is this something the Government could finally look at working towards bringing to an end? The people of Cork have been waiting for 20 years for something to come to an end this weekend. I wish the Cork t…

I wish to raise with the Government the rapid development of major solar installations across the east Cork area, part of my constituency. There are large numbers of developments in planning, under discussion or in negotiation that represent very significant land volumes, amounting to thousands of acres. Not to identify any one development but across the region north of Midleton, north of Youghal and Killeagh, developments are being actively pushed through. The concern I want to highlight is that Ireland's policy o…

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, Deputy John McGuinness, for allowing me some of his time. I wish to speak on this issue because Cork East is receiving the largest single investment in an active rail project anywhere in the country now, with a €1.6 billion investment into the Cork area metropolitan transport strategy. I note Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan from Cork North-Central is in the Chair. Both our constituencies are beneficiaries of this investment. The project is advancing at a rapid pace. I was lucky enough t…

I want to raise with the Taoiseach the issue of energy prices in Ireland. We now have the most expensive non-residential electricity in Europe and we are third in terms of household prices. This is not sustainable from the point of view of competitiveness. I have raised here previously that Irish energy policy is deeply unsustainable. I have seen a growth in solar, with hundreds and hundreds of acres, in excess of thousands of acres now, unfortunately, taking up some of the best agricultural land in our country. I …

Tá ceist amháin eile agam don Taoiseach.

I want to raise the issue of Youghal District Court being removed from the town. Youghal has lost much of its public services over a protracted period. I want to raise the matter of retaining a District Court. There was a previous attempt to remove it. Unfortunately, moving those services to Dungarvan also brings Garda resources from Youghal, outside County Cork, half an hour's drive away, to another location. I want to raise the importance of keeping this in the town. Crime is not a big issue in Youghal, thankfull…