Deputy Jim O'Callaghan stated that the crisis cannot be solved overnight. Fine Gael has been in government for 12 years. It has had more than 4,000 overnights. How many more overnights will it take? We need a change of Government, a change of approach because what the Government is doing is not working. I do not know whose interests it is serving, but it is not serving the interests of my constituents or of families. All the latter want is the chance to have stable and secure homes from which they can build their l…

It is absolutely horrible to have to hand your keys back to someone and have to walk away from the place you thought you might be able to build your family. It is awful. Those in government speak about safety nets. They have not got a clue. To have that safety net taken away - a safe, secure stable place to live; a place your children can call home - is soul destroying. I say to people who will be evicted - and people will be evicted in the next month - that the shame is not theirs, it belongs to the Government. It…

She did not.

Somebody has to put the facts on the record of the Dáil.

The Minister should not wag his finger at me. Where is the widow with four kids going on 15 May? The Minister has no answer.

The Deputy will get an extra merit for that zinger.

How many houses did he build?

A Chathaoirligh, I think it is back to the Labour Party and then Sinn Féin.

I thank the Deputies who tabled the motion for bringing it forward and giving us the opportunity to discuss this matter, which comes up every year. It is bewildering that the Government fails utterly to plan. For example, the area in which I live has the fastest-growing population in the State. As sure as night follows day, when children are born they will need an education. Every year, however, the Minister for Education expresses her surprise when I raise an issue relating to my constituency. There is an issue ev…

Where?

Where is she going to go?

The Tánaiste is going to be very busy next month. Will we give them his number?

No answer.

Is that agreeable? I do not want to be awkward.

I do not wish to set a precedent and I will not take all of the time because I do not want to be in other people's way when they want to make their contributions. I thank the Ceann Comhairle and everyone else for indulging me. I noted the Minister's speech in which he referred to the need for patient safety, which is extremely important. However, when we consider the issue of staffing levels, we must also consider the issue of staff safety. In many of our hospitals, staffing levels are at crisis point and our nurse…

Over recent weeks, I have been contacted by staff who work for the company Iceland. It appears that in January, the company was sold to the Project Point Technologies company. Workers were told at the time that it would be a standard transfer of undertakings and that they had nothing to worry about. In recent weeks, however, many have not been paid and some have been paid incorrect amounts. I have tried to make contact with the new owner without success. There are 450 workers. They see that stock is low in stores a…

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this legislation. I will confine my words in the main to section 5 of the Bill, which amends sections 100 and 101 of the Finance Act 2022. The sections in question provide for the TBESS, which was announced as a flagship support for SMEs in budget 2023. The escalating energy crisis posed a direct threat to the viability of many small businesses and, as such, a scheme was needed to help to guide them through this crisis in the hope that the situation would stabilise in t…

No.

What about individual cases?

No, the Minister does not.