I thank the Minister of State for the additional work and effort he has put into coming up with some information on that. Fundamentally, Arklow and Baltinglass do not have full cover at the moment. They are now relying on ambulance cover from other parts of the county, and indeed other parts of the country. This has been in place since 2010, which was a very different environment economically. There was obviously a need to make cuts. However, we are no longer in that economic situation, and it is inconceivable that…

I welcome the move of the Government from a developer-led to a plan-led approach. That was a positive move to make. My preference would be for much more State involvement in these projects, but it was a positive step to take. Having said that, in line with my colleagues’ points, we need to make sure the planning process will be well resourced and that appropriate and sufficient expertise will be there to enable not just an efficient but also a thorough examination of these projects. When I talk about expertise, it …

I thank Deputy Kerrane and the committee for this really important work. Sometimes in politics, I find it quite interesting that it can be the simplest things that do not get done. This is one of the issues where I could never understand why it had not been regulated and why we were not stronger in maintaining good robust regulations, legislation and enforcement. If you talk to 99% of people out there, this is an issue they care very deeply about and an area in which they know there are real needs. They also questi…

As for calling it rapid-build housing, let us face it-----

That is not fair.

By 2030, 80% of Ireland’s electricity is to come from renewable sources. The Government has set a target of 7,000 MW of installed offshore wind generation by 2030. For comparison, we currently have 25 MW off Wicklow in the Arklow Bank Wind Park. That target is for a mere eight years so it is a very ambitious target. However, the industry has continually rung alarm bells, saying this target will not be met. The latest alarm bell to be rung is by the UCC business school, which today described Ireland as a laggard in …

I welcome this motion from the Regional Group. It is a very important issue for us to be talking about. We cannot understate the importance of transport for those with a disability. If people do not have easy access to transport, it essentially keeps them prisoners in their own homes. They cannot get out to meet friends, socialise, work or go to education. It has wide-ranging impacts. I want to use my time to give an example of someone in my constituency of Wicklow who is finding it very difficult to access transpo…

Since the eviction ban was lifted, my office has been inundated with calls from tenants who have been issued with notices to quit. This is the biggest thing my office and staff are working on at the moment. I welcome the tenant in situ scheme. Working with Wicklow County Council, we have had some successes with it. Given the incredible pressures on housing and affordable housing in County Wicklow, I ask why an allocation of just 30 houses was given to Wicklow County Council under the tenant in situ scheme. Will the…

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward the motion. I do not know if it is just me, but this feels like Groundhog Day. Every few weeks, we are talking about energy prices, energy markets and energy failures in this Chamber, and it has been going on for a number of years. The reason we are still talking about it, and the reason we will still be talking about it in six months, is that what we are actually facing is a market that is running wild, a market that is no longer fit for purpose. The Minister spoke earlier ab…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, for coming in today. There has been much discussion in this House and also around the country recently since the announcement by Panda that it would bring in charges for the collection of brown bins for domestic users. We all know that the public bin collection was privatised in an era when waste production and management was not considered as urgent an issue as it is today, and the climate and environmental impacts of it were not as appreciated. This is in part du…

The Minister of State's response outlines the current situation and the legal requirements put in place by previous Governments in relation to waste collection; what it does not talk about is whether this is an area the Minister of State would consider re-examining to see if it could be done better. Things have changed significantly since 2011. The environmental impact of waste is higher on our agenda, thankfully. In instances like this, our legislation and policies need to be dynamic and to move with the most rece…

I move: That Dáil Éireann shall take note of the Report of the Joint Committee on International Surrogacy entitled "Final Report of the Joint Committee on International Surrogacy", copies of which were laid before Dáil Éireann on 6th July, 2022. Before I start, I would like to extend the warmest of welcomes to everybody in the Visitors Gallery, namely, Irish Families Through Surrogacy, Irish Gay Dads, Equality for Children, LGBT Ireland and their families and friends. I know they have a lot of support here today. I…

I thank the Minister and the Minister of State for their contributions. It is so welcome to hear such strong statements of support for the recommendations and for the families. It is also extremely important. Many families will leave here this evening heartened by what they have heard, particularly concerning the commitments made by the Minister for Health to get this legislation through the Houses as quickly as possible. Speaking on behalf of my party, which I think others will echo as well, we will work with the …

A Leas-Cheann Comhairle-----

For the first time ever, a case concerning climate action has been taken to the European Court of Human Rights. In the so-called Swiss grannies case, a number of women have argued that the Swiss Government has not done enough to meet its climate targets, thereby endangering these women's lives and health. While a number of countries have made written submissions to the court about this case, Ireland is the only country that has sent a team of lawyers to make verbal submissions. It is the view of the Government that…

I have listened to the transcript. It is exactly what the State-----

Your argument is it is not under the remit of the------

I am very proud to speak to the motion. I thank my colleague Deputy Cian O'Callaghan for his work on this issue. This motion is an example of the commonsense, practical and realistically achievable housing proposals the Government should be bringing in. We all know, the Government included, that one in six homes in Ireland is currently vacant. We know that many people are leaving their homes vacant with a plan, potentially, for them in the future. We know that many people are using this period of vacancy and record…

Regarding rented properties, does the Deputy have to declare his interest in this area?

The Deputy should-----