There is also a possibility of a visit this time by President Trump who owns Doonbeg golf club. We saw in previous visits the scale of the operation required for a presidential visit, including road closures, major security arrangements, co-ordination with the US Secret Service and the redeployment of Garda personnel from across the region. An Garda Síochána in Clare simply cannot do this with existing resources without causing serious disruption to normal policing services across the county. Rural communities in C…

As the Minister is well aware, TB is an issue that is hitting farm families very hard across the county, including my county of Clare. Could he provide information on where we are with the eradication strategy? Does he think eradication is a realistic goal? What are his plans to evaluate the current compensation cap?

I compliment the Minister on his great work on this issue, but, unfortunately, I hear from farmers in Clare every week who are losing thousands of euro in comparison with what they would get on the open market. Independent valuers assigned by the Department are valuing animals well above the Department ceiling of €3,000. With the high costs at the moment, this means that farmers, through no fault of their own, are losing real money out of their pockets. The gap between compensation and value is causing serious fina…

Compensation values are totally outdated and do not reflect the true value of animals in 2026. It appears that increased costs and values are being accommodated across many sectors except for farmers with TB. The defective concrete blocks scheme is one example, where we have rightly gone back to affected homeowners and increased compensation values for rebuilding their homes. I appreciate the work the Minister is doing on TB eradication. The increase in the budget is very welcome and clearly shows a commitment to t…

I raise an issue that communities all over the country can relate to, namely, proper community engagement. These are three very important words. We hear the phrase all the time. It is in development plans, policy documents and Government reports. Developers talk about it while councils and other State bodies say they are doing it. It even came up in two Oireachtas reports that I worked on this week. However, what does "community engagement" really mean and does it actually make any difference? Many communities feel…

I thank the Minister of State. Every one of us in this House knows of a local project, very often an energy project, in respect of which communities were angry about how developers engaged with them, or about whether they engaged with them at all. Instead of constantly dealing with these disputes, should we not create a clear set of standards that every public and private body must follow, whether it involves a major infrastructure project, a Department policy, the allocation of public funding or a county developme…

The defective concrete block issue is causing huge concern for those affected. The process is long, complicated and stressful. Those who have been approved but who have appealed that decision also find themselves in no man's land, with no information on how their appeal is being dealt with. In January I submitted a parliamentary question asking for the number of appeals made to date under the defective concrete blocks scheme, the number of appeals that had been heard by county and by year, and the current timeline …

I thank the Minister of State. I agree that we must respect the independent appeals board but it is important that people get the information, at least get updated information about what is happening in the appeals board. I am aware of householders who have been waiting almost 12 months and have heard nothing whatsoever. Their appeals went in. They were notified they were received but did not get any further information whatsoever. That is not good enough. These people are under enough stress at the moment without …

I want to raise an issue that is a real worry for people, not just in County Clare but across the country. I hear every day from older people and their families who are struggling to get home care or a place in a nursing home. Clare has the longest home-support waiting list per person in the country. Even though the Government is spending more on home support nationally, Clare is not getting its fair share. This needs to be fixed so waiting times can be brought down quickly. Because of this, more people are going i…

I thank the Taoiseach. Clare is a county with one of the fastest growing older populations and avoiding serious challenges for those elderly people is very important. Its rural nature and the remoteness of many of its areas are especially challenging to provide home help to older people, given the travelling distance. In addition, support for more home help and nursing homes in Clare would help in a big way to alleviate the overcrowding in UHL. I am aware of families who have been told patients in the hospital coul…

County Clare has welcomed significant numbers of Ukrainian people fleeing the war, just as it did with Hungarian and Kosovan refugees in the past. Our communities opened their schools, organisations and workplaces to them. Now, four years on, many Ukrainians are moving on from emergency accommodation and hotel contracts are ending. Will the Minister of State confirm how many contracts have been concluded and how many beds may return to their original purpose?

I thank the Minister of State for the reply and welcome the reduction in the hotel contracts. This is a positive step, showing that many people are moving on from emergency accommodation by finding homes, entering work and moving elsewhere. We should recognise the support of Clare communities and the contribution many Ukrainians have made in return. Hotels returning to serving visitors is an important opportunity for tourism and the hospitality sector. It will support local businesses, boost occupancy and protect j…

Clare has lost thousands of tourist bed nights each month over the past four years, with the vast majority in north and west Clare, where tourism is a key part of the local economy. While I understand that tourism is not directly within the Minister of State's brief, the return of this bed stock is both vital and important. It must be managed to ensure that it delivers the maximum benefit quickly. Will the Minister of State outline whether there is any engagement with local authorities, Fáilte Ireland or Tourism Ir…

I believe that a lot of people in County Clare have been housed through the accommodation recognition payment scheme. From what I can see, it is working well and I have not heard of any major issues from house owners or tenants. It is important that we have a clear picture of how many people are supported under this scheme nationwide. With that in mind, will the Minister of State provide an overall number and county-by-county breakdown of the properties receiving the accommodation recognition payment?

I believe this scheme shows that trust, along with fair financial support, can bring thousands of homes into the rental market. Over 42,000 people are currently housed in more than 20,000 properties, mostly without formal inspection or registration. That is a lot of people willing to rent out their properties under the right circumstances. I am not against proper oversight, but this scheme clearly shows that a system that is simple, fair and works for both sides can be effective. There also appear to be very few co…

The difference between this scheme and the current private rental market is something we should look at closely. The private rental sector sees a lot of RTB disputes, complaints and at times poor relationships between landlords and tenants. The ARP scheme shows a different way of doing things. When property owners are offered a fair, simple and worthwhile arrangement, they respond well. Over 20,000 have already done this. There are lessons here that could bring more homes into use, ease pressures on rents and impro…

In villages across County Clare and throughout rural Ireland, the post office is more than a service point; it is where people collect pensions, pay bills and meet neighbours. Alongside the local shop, it is the heartbeat of the community. When a post office closes, a community loses more than a building; it loses connection and identity. Business owners should always be the first option to run a post office but unfortunately in many small villages that is simply not possible. However, villages have strong communit…

We are all too aware of the terrible loss of life on our roads in recent weeks and years. Unfortunately, the number of road deaths continues to rise. This should concern us all. Most road traffic collisions in Ireland take place on unlit local and regional roads. At present, it is compulsory to install cat's eyes on national primary and secondary routes. However, this requirement does not extend to local and regional roads. Will the Minister consider extending the mandate to regional and local roads, especially in …

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. Travelling on local roads throughout the country and in my county of Clare is challenging at the best of times. It becomes ever more difficult in the depths of winter. Many local and regional roads have inadequate markings where lane markings, arrows and stop lines are not clear. Most have no indications of the edge of the carriageways and very few are fitted with reflective road studs or cat's eyes. It is difficult to understand why proper markings and cat's eyes on reg…

Seven in every ten fatal collisions take place on rural roads with a speed limit of 80 km/h or higher. These are the very roads I have highlighted here today. Half of all fatalities occur between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. when visibility is at its worst. I recognise that road maintenance is expensive but we have a responsibility as a country to do everything possible to reverse the rise in road deaths. Simple low-cost measures can make a real difference and the evidence is out there to be seen. I urge the Minister of State…