It was a wonderful article.

I do not think anyone disagrees with the problems we are facing in how we interact with the planet in our daily lives and what we need to do to make life better and more sustainable. Much of the rhetoric and commentary on this particular proposal, particularly from the Government side, is to placate the Green Party. That is my honest opinion.

It is not matching the reality of life. This is the reality I face every day in my constituency. Let us consider farming and the suckler cow issue, an activity in which many families are involved. How do we have a just transition that moves that farming family from one activity to the other? There is no discussion about that. If we are building a new cheese plant in south Kilkenny and encouraging people to have the supply chain ready for that, how do we change them midstream? This is not a decision farmers made; it…

I have solutions. We should support the transport sector to make that just transition.

Invest in them. Invest in farming to get them to a point we want to get them. I do not see one shilling for the just transition in the midlands.

Many bus and coach operators that bring in visitors here and travel all over the country, some of which are based in my constituency, made the effort and could not get the vehicles. They could not afford the vehicles. They decided then they were going to change tyres and have proper green-types of tyres, and guess what? The tyres wear quicker, cost more and a person has to use two of them compared to one standard tyre. How is the Government going to pay for that just transition? Does it expect the business to pay f…

I welcome the opportunity to discuss the proposals outlined in this document. I was with the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, last week in Kilkenny, where we visited several completed housing schemes. The houses were top quality. Tenants had moved into some of them and they were more than happy with the finished product. The Minister is enthusiastic and passionate about delivery of this housing programme, but he will not do it on his own. This requires the same passion from the officials and members at county coun…

This legislation is a nod in the right direction in the context of reforming the administration of the Garda Síochána. If we want to learn something about the reform that is required, though, one need look no further than the case of the death of Shane O'Farrell. The courts, the Garda and the Director of Public Prosecution's office were at fault. There is nothing in this Bill that will correct that fault and ensure that what happened to Shane O'Farrell does not happen again. Consider the case of Maurice McCabe and,…

I want to draw the Minister of State's attention to the fact that rural Ireland is still being left behind in the provision of a proper broadband network. In doing so, I recognise the amount of money that has already been invested by Government in this area but a far greater efficiency in delivery has to be achieved. Beyond Covid, people will work from home a lot more, bigger companies will establish in rural Ireland a lot more, and there will be an expansion of the use of technology and the Internet for doing busi…

I appreciate the work that has been undertaken by the Government in terms of funding and the private sector in terms of the delivery of broadband. I encourage the Minister of State to look at the country as a whole, draw together all of those that are providing broadband and ensure that the gaps in the make-up of each county are delivered on and there is a plan. When people make inquiries they do not want to hear a load of statistics. Rather, they want to know when their businesses are going to be connected. Roadma…

In 2018, the Dáil dealt with two very significant issues. One of them related to the calls for a public inquiry into the death of Shane O'Farrell. It is the tenth anniversary of the death of this young man and two and a half years into the promised scoping exercise being carried out by a judge. At the time, the Dáil voted overwhelmingly to support a public inquiry. In 2017, I agreed with the Taoiseach's statement that a public inquiry was needed. I further agreed with his statement that the case "reveals shocking m…

-----of the suspension of John Barrett. Where does that stand?

I do not want to be disrespectful but I want to say that I was in the building. I came up specifically to participate in this debate. In accordance with the schedule we were given, I was outside observing the protocols, not wanting to come in because I suffocate with a mask on. I wanted to make a short contribution. It is not my fault that somebody made the mistake whereby we have all ended up wanting to speak, being here to speak and not being able to speak.. I appeal to the Ceann Comhairle and I will respect his …

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for his ruling allowing us to speak in this debate. It is a difficult time for all of us and there must be some flexibility. There is, of course, a job to be done by the Whip's office in the context of ensuring that we are all properly informed. I do not expect anyone to catch me by the hand, bring me in here and give me a slap on the back. In fact, my experience is that there are few who will do that for you in here. Usually, the Whips give you a kick in the rear end rather than a slap …

Not me.

This debate is an opportunity for the Department of Finance and the Government to reimagine their role in the context of banking in Ireland in the future. It is also an opportunity for us to set out a policy that will attract the type of banking being demanded now by the general public and, indeed, by the banking system itself. To bring change to fruition, we need to look back over the legacy issues that remain in the banks at present. Bank of Ireland and AIB are the main banks to be considered in this regard and b…

Today is World Whistleblowers' Day. In light of the European directive and the review of the protected disclosures legislation, the Taoiseach should ask his Ministers to deal with all the protected disclosures in a constructive way within their Departments. In particular, I ask him to look at the ones that have been dealt with on the floor of this House, including those from the Cork Institute of Technology, CIT, and those made by John Barrett. Lucia O'Farrell exposed many questions relating to structures of the St…

Any day this amount of money can be put into the economy is a good day. Reflecting on the amount of money that has been spent in the economy since the start of the pandemic has proven that with the appropriate supports we can pull through in the most extraordinary of times. We must be careful and ensure that the supports remain in place until business can stand on its own two feet and the wage earner or earners in a household are comfortable and safe in the context of their earnings being sufficient to support thei…

When I look at the legislation before us and consider the action we have to take, I am reminded of the idea of the lesser evil being for the greater good. I find it difficult to accept some of what has happened since the beginning of the Covid crisis. I take the opportunity to thank the workers on the front line and others who gave over their usual and way beyond what was expected of them to treat patients and make the regulations work. I am thinking of gardaí, doctors, nurses and all the people who have helped dur…

This Bill cannot be taken in isolation. It is a Bill that is being supported by the House but it is a reflection on what is happening within the banking sector and in the housing crisis. In 2008, when we had the crash and things got very bad after that, the banks quickly showed how greedy they were and how unrelenting they were in relation to repossessions, chasing people and, in many cases, breaking them down. Some died by suicide. We cannot overlook that. I would say to the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne,…