Thank you, Deputy.

I am impressed to hear both the number of credentials and the number of the trade union members elected here. Unlike many of my colleagues, I have never been a member of a trade union. I was employed while in college in the United Kingdom doing basic work behind bars and the rest of it. I never had an opportunity to join a trade union. I was self-employed. I ran bars and restaurants in Spain. I did not have an opportunity to get involved. I think I was a good employer. I then worked for a multinational company. I v…

It is related in the Irish Examiner that, at a meeting of Cork City Council last Monday evening, a number of councillors stated that Cork city is a no-go area and that there are parts of the city that you cannot go into. Another councillor, Seán Martin, stated that we have to take back our city. Does the Taoiseach agree with his Fianna Fáil colleagues on Cork City Council that the city is now unsafe and that it is a dangerous city in which people do not feel safe? Is he willing to put together a task force as he di…

I almost feel sorry for the Ceann Comhairle because she is hearing the same story over and over again from every Deputy who has spoken. The Minister of State, Deputy Jerry Buttimer, and I share a constituency in Cork. He will be aware that 39 weeks is the average waiting time. We seem to be a country of waiting lists. We are very good at creating waiting lists and long waits for everybody. Families are being discommoded. It is not working. The RSA is not fulfilling its duty. There was a suggestion made by other spe…

The Taoiseach is not heckled from all sides of the House.

I am sure the Taoiseach will join me in welcoming the Meany family from the Lower Glanmire Road and Ballyvolane to the Public Gallery. As reported by RTÉ and the Irish Examiner , a HSE inquest issued an apology on Tuesday, 29 April for the death almost six years ago of Mr. Anthony Hennessy of Mallow, County Cork, in a room in St. Stephen's Hospital in Glanmire near Cork city. On 25 November 2019, Anthony died by suicide in an HSE-run secure mental health unit. His death while under the care of the State is not only…

I offer my congratulations to the Minister and Minister of State. I have not had the opportunity to do so in the Chamber previously. I note a statement here to the effect that many of the skills of today did not exist yesterday and that many of the skills of tomorrow do not exist today. That is very true. It is the reality of life. When it comes to research and development, perhaps we are not as advanced as we would like to think. There has to be a bigger focus on that. Equally, as my colleague from Tipperary state…

I have to agree with my colleagues. The story Michael Collins tells about west Cork is exactly the same as the story we see in Cork North-Central. We cannot build a single home in Carrignavar because there is no water treatment plant. The infrastructure in Glanmire - which is in my constituency, which is the location of the parish I was born in and which is where I got my biggest vote in the last local election - is over-facilitated with housing estate after housing estate being built and no infrastructure being de…

Last week, my city of Cork was struck by a deep tragedy with the loss of a young man, Luke Hyde, who got into difficulty swimming in the River Lee. What makes the loss more horrifying to his friends and family is the fact that many people stood by filming and then shared footage on social media. While Coco’s Law rightly criminalises the sharing of intimate images without consent there is currently no legal protection to prevent the sharing of videos of someone in their final moments. It is time we introduced a Luke…

On Europe Day, we mark a bold vision, born from the ashes of war, of peace, co-operation and prosperity between nations that once stood divided. I am a proud pro-European. I believe in nations working together, not tearing each other down. Let that not be confused with blind obedience to Brussels. This Europe is not the dream we signed up to back in the seventies. We see consequences of remote policymaking every day across Europe. Ireland is bearing the brunt of a significant refugee crisis, spending approximately …

I wish to share time with Deputies Michael Collins and Paul Lawless.

The final report is not just a catalogue of failure, it is a national disgrace. Let us be clear: this did not happen in the shadows. This happened in the full view of the State, with the knowledge of senior officials and successive governments, which chose to turn a blind eye. What this report exposes is not just incompetence; it is complicity. Children and vulnerable adults were failed again and again, not because they did not know, but because those in power did not care enough to act. Whistleblowers were silence…

The Deputy is eating into his colleagues' time.

As the debate has concluded, I must put the amendment.

It is the Government amendment.

In accordance with Standing Order 85(2), the division is deferred until the weekly division time next week.

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss the need to bring the national secondary road, the Ring of Kerry, up to standard. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil - To discuss the lack of crèche places in areas of growing population in Kildare North. Deputy Eamon Scanlon - To discuss issues within the orthopaedic department of Sligo University Hospital. Deputy Malcolm Byrne - To d…

Moving on to the Independent and Parties Technical Group, I call Deputy Paul Murphy.

It is 1.5 minutes.

Thank you, Deputy.