Today I stand before the House representing the voice of the Irish taxpayer who is rightly appalled by the flagrant waste of public money on this and the previous Government's watch. Where is the accountability? Where are the checks and balances in the public procurement process? The buck stops with the Minister and his Government. Today my party has shone a light on what is an embarrassing lack of fiscal responsibility. It has become the hallmark of this Administration and the previous one, in which the Minister a…

But it is not coming in on budget. It is not coming in on budget.

I rise to discuss an issue that is extremely important in my constituency and in the adjoining one, which is the Taoiseach's constituency. It concerns an ongoing problem that I highlighted in 2021 with the help of the investigative journalism of Amy Nolan from The Echo . I refer to the condition of the water supply across the northside of Cork city and now into parts of the county as well. As the Taoiseach is well aware, the connection that was brought from Ballincollig to the old waterworks on the River Lee, which…

It is all very well what the Taoiseach has said and the commitment he has given. I am asking for a commitment in respect of the €500 million Irish Water has asked for to start developing the system. The Taoiseach will be aware of the news today that 33 samples of manganese have been found in water in Cork city. Manganese is at an unacceptable level there. I have just poured into the glass in front of me a sample of water from Cork city. This is what it looks like. That is what is coming out of the taps on the north…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. According to media reports, the Government will not allocate energy credits this year in the coming budget, thereby ending the cost-of-living supports package. The energy providers are introducing increases of 31 cent per day, according to SSE, or €113 per year. While the Government cites the Ukrainian war as an inflation factor, carbon credits are adding €140 per year to the average gas bill. Many elderly people are facing financial hardship. The planned pension increase this year is €…

What will the Government do to help senior citizens across this country?

I congratulate the Leas-Cheann Comhairle on his new position. I welcome his remarks earlier, when he promised to work in a non-partisan and fair way. I have always known him to be a gentleman of that character throughout his tenure in the House and also in his private life. I welcome the many people in the Gallery who have experienced domestic violence. They have emailed us, as elected Members, and both shared their difficult experiences and enlightened us. I wish to speak about the aspect of domestic violence that…

I congratulate the Minister on her new position. I wish her every success in it. A society is rated on how it treats its elderly people. How we treat our elderly people in this country beggars belief. We have people on waiting lists continuously. People are waiting two and a half years to see an eye specialist in Cork city. In my constituency of Cork North-Central, we have the Blackpool SouthDoc debacle that has been going on for the last two and a half years where we have a doctor in place who is on call. The buil…

The Mayfield primary care occupational therapy team is supposed to have three full-time occupational therapists. This is already insufficient for the number of children who need special attention. I have been made aware that there is only one part-time therapist working on the team at this time. The current set-up is: one therapist is on maternity leave and her work is not being covered; the second left and has not been replaced; and, as stated, the third only works part time. I have also been made aware that the p…

It is Mayfield primary care centre.

Like many who told the stories around the House, I too have constituents come to me continually telling me they cannot get driving tests. Others tell me they drive their sons or daughters to university, which not only inconveniences their lives, but affects them financially, in the sense of how they get to work and plan their day. In addition, an issue that must be mentioned in this debate, which I do not think anyone has mentioned, is that in the past year, 6,016 people did not show up for their driving tests. The…

I rise to welcome the Minister of State to her new role. I worked with her previously with some county councillors when we were councillors together. I know she is a lady of integrity and decency. I wish her the very best of success. I have to admit that, unlike others in the House, I am not a techie, but I am very fortunate that an eight-year-old member of my family – her name is Alissia O'Flynn – who is able to turn on my television and fix my phone for me at every opportunity. Unlike the Member who is able to hi…

In 1752, the bells of Shandon rang for the first time. In 1847, the clock mechanism was installed, with Cork Corporation and later Cork City Council being responsible for it to date. From 1847 to 1859, it was the biggest clock face in Europe. As the Taoiseach will know, it has been reported €400,000 is to be spent on the refurbishment of the Four-Faced Liar to restore this national monument, which is Shandon. Will the Taoiseach commit his Government to the application made by Cork City Council for the €400,000 fund…

I think the Taoiseach was mentioned once or twice.

I welcome and congratulate both Ministers of State on their positions. From reading the reply, I note that the goal of this policy is to focus on the mental health of the whole population, which is a very welcome statement. Perhaps something that has not been addressed in this working document is the mental health of a certain sector of society, namely, carers. Who is looking after the carers? When I started in politics a long time ago - 20-something years ago - I went to a carers' conference in UCC. I listened to …

Congratulations to both Ministers on their appointments. I thank Sinn Féin for bringing this motion before the House. Having listened to this debate for the past hour and a half, the stories being recounted by many of my colleagues are the same as the stories in Cork North-Central. Parents must fight a continuing battle to get an assessment for their children and procure places for them. They then have to battle with the Department of Social Protection for domiciliary care. I could go on. I bring the attention of t…

I welcome the large contingent of members of Independent Ireland from Cork North Central to the Gallery. Mallow swimming pool is closing on 1 March for nine months for upgrades. While that is a welcome decision, it causes a big problem for the community in which I live. Mallow is a large town and many people use the pool. It is important to clubs, schools and older people. For example, the Mallow Swans Swimming Club has 225 members aged seven to 19 who use the pool every day. These young people are learning to swim…

They only join us.

I am disappointed I see the Government benches are so empty today but equally those who waxed lyrical not so long ago in this House, who chastised the Government in their speeches, I see their benches are also empty for what is the biggest crisis facing this country. While I agree we need to fix the housing crisis, the plan put forward by the Labour Party - I thank my colleagues in the Labour Party for bringing this motion forward - is based on what I regard as bad ideas. The Labour Party wants to remove the privat…

-----but it does not want to explain how it will be replaced. Will it increase taxes or simply borrow more? I listened to some of the Labour Party speakers. One would almost think Labour was not in the Government in the last couple of years but the Labour Party held the portfolio not so long ago.