In relation to the conversation the Minister just had with Deputy Nash, we are all aware of the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on many people. This question is on the Minister’s view on public pay.

I want to raise the issue of section 39 workers. As the Minister is aware, many section 39 workers held rallies and protests in the lead up to the budget. They also did so in my hometown of Galway. I would imagine that we all recognise that section 39 workers do Trojan work and how much, as a State, we rely on their work. The reality is they often feel undervalued. We know that the income inequality has a massive impact on those workers. We also know that the income inequality aspect has an impact on retention of s…

The detail of that will be important to the workers. The topic of the evening is the considerable pressure people are under as a result of the cost-of-living crisis. I realise we refer to it often in this Chamber but the reality is that people are choosing between heating, eating and paying the rent. It is difficult for many to do all three. I want to raise the issue of the secretarial assistants. The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission has sent the Minister the Shay Cody report on secretarial assistants. Can the M…

Politics is about choices. Budgets are about choices. Indeed, a budget literally reflects the different political choices and the different priorities of the Government of the day. Therefore, when people of my age say to me that there is nothing for them here, that there is no chance of them ever owning their own home or that they are not sure what to do about starting a family because they just cannot afford to, it is because of the political choices that the Government has made over years and it is because of the…

It is good that we are having this discussion about the serious issues that have arisen surrounding An Bord Pleanála. These go right to the heart of our planning system. It is the biggest crisis in our planning system since the Mahon tribunal. It is important to remember the words of Mr. Justice Alan Mahon who said that the presence of conflicts of interest do not necessarily equate to corruption but it creates the conditions under which corruption can flourish. It is clear from what has been reported that the conf…

Is dócha nach gcaithim é a rá mar go dtuigeann gach uile dhuine sa seomra go bhfuil an t-uafás brú ar theaghlaigh agus ar ghnólachtaí. Tabharfaidh mé cúpla sampla don Aire mar gheall air sin. Bhí mé ag caint le gnólacht áitiúil i mo cheantar féin atá ar cheann de na hoileáin atá ann. Léirigh sé dom go bhfuil sé ag úsáid phainéil ghréine agus go bhfuil an fuinneamh ar fad atá ag teastáil uaidh á fáil aige ó na painéil sin. Léirigh sé freisin dom go bhfuil cuid dó sin ag dul ar ais chuig an grid ach is é an rud atá á…

Unfortunately, I only have three minutes, which does not really leave room for everything I wish to say. It has been quite an interesting debate up to this point. I will use this opportunity to raise two local issues. They have been going on for quite some time and are very serious. It is unfortunate that it has to come to the point where they have to be raised in the Dáil. The people of Inishbofin were advised of a boil water notice on 25 August due to the level of manganese in the water. This was then changed to …

As the Minister outlined, the summer economic statement is an important part of the budgetary process. It gives us the context ahead of the budget. Over the last two years our conversations at this time have been around Covid and the impact of the pandemic. Before that, the uncertainty surrounding Brexit dominated our conversations whereas this year the focus has shifted to record inflation. However, as we discuss the parameters for the upcoming budget, households across the State are also discussing financial matt…

We have been down quite a long road on this. It has been a very positive example of how the Government can engage with the Opposition and the relevant committee. The Minister has taken on board many of the suggestions put forward by me, an Teachta Buckley and others. That has been really positive. I am aware this is our last opportunity to speak on this. I thank the whistleblowers who have engaged with us over the course of dealing with this Bill. They spoke out for the common good. We have heard from the witnesses…

How quickly does the Minister expect the office to be set up? Where does that leave people in the meantime?

Thart ar bhliain ó shin, tháinig mé féin, an Teachta Ó Cuív agus an Teachta Connolly le chéile agus d'ardamar cheist faoi otharcharr Chonamara. Bhí rath leis an gceist sin. Ó shin, tá fhios againn go bhfuil otharcharr ann. An fhadhb atá ann faoi láthair ná nach bhfuil an base ann, rud atá fíorthábhachtach. This time last year, na Teachtaí Ó Cuív and Connolly and I came together to highlight the urgent need for an ambulance service in the Conamara area, which had been lacking that service for some time. We were quit…

I do not understand how much of this answer relates to the specific questions we asked. From what the Minister of State has said, I take it that preparations for the new facilities are at an advanced stage. In the interim, deployment is occurring from the base in Clifden. As Deputy Connolly said, the reality is that this campaign group has been fighting for a long time. To be perfectly honest, and I say this as a member of the Opposition, this was a good news story for the Government that it had delivered in respec…

The Minister said it is not a political game and I agree with him but to be honest, much of the time when I hear Government Deputies shouting about the housing crisis, I really think they think it is some kind of political game. The reality is that the housing crisis is as a result of political choices. That is why we are where we are. There is no denying that. It is because of political choices made by the previous Government, which the Minister supported, and by this Government. I am sure the Minister knows of, a…

The position of my party and I on neutrality is completely clear. Deputy McDonald has already said that if she were to become Taoiseach, protecting our neutrality would be a key priority. Unfortunately the position of certain parties is not clear and is completely ambivalent. Fine Gael has at least been honest tonight and it has long been calling for a debate on our neutrality and joining NATO. I am shocked to hear some of the commentaries today that we are not ambitious enough, that we need to make a good account …

-----war is for other people. We know this Government is united in its support for PESCO. The reality is that a lot of people are not that familiar with PESCO but according to the European Defence Agency it is a tool to provide Europe with a "coherent full spectrum force package, in complementarity with NATO". The recent Commission on the Defence Forces mentions: "Opportunities offered by the EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation to develop Ireland’s defence capabilities". It goes on to state that "it is necessary …

Cuirim fáilte roimh an rún seo agus gabhaim buíochas le mo chomhghleacaí, an Teachta Ó Laoghaire, as é a chur os comhair na Dála anocht. Tá a fhios againn ar fad an bhrú uafásach atá ar theaghlaigh faoi láthair. Tá brú orthu mar gheall ar an gcostas maireachtála ach tá brú eile orthu anois toisc go bhfuil a fhios acu go mbeidh Meán Fómhair ag teacht go luath. Tá litreacha ag teacht isteach sa doras ag lorg airgid cheana féin agus níl an t-airgead sin ag daoine. Feicim an méid a d'fhógraíodh anocht agus táim sásta g…

The special leave with pay scheme for Covid cases is ending tomorrow and many who have contacted me are front-line workers who contracted Covid in the workplace. They are worried that, on top of having lost their health, this will push them into poverty. I have asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, about this and he said the Department of Health is working on a proposal to deal with such cases. As no cliff-edge was promised to these workers, could the special leave be extende…

Forty years ago we were experiencing double-digit inflation and the Taoiseach of the time addressed the nation and said we were living beyond our means and needed to tighten our belts. Those words are not far from the words of this Government, as it tells people they must wait. They must just wait another few months before the Government can help any more, but the people cannot wait. The belt cannot be tightened any further by the worker in the west who is struggling to make the trip to his badly needed job because…

I remember when we clapped in this Chamber for our front-line workers. That recognition was important but it is not sufficient. We know that the pay talks recently broke down and the unions are up for the negotiation. The Taoiseach said that he is also up for that negotiation. Will he commit to concluding an agreement with the unions that recognises the important work done by nurses, gardaí and civil and public servants?

Australia's new Prime Minister, Mr. Anthony Albanese, has rightly expressed genuine concern for Mr. Julian Assange. He is on the record on several occasions saying that he does not see what purpose is served by the ongoing pursuit of Mr. Assange and, most importantly, that enough is enough. On Friday, in response to the British Home Secretary's decision to approve Mr. Assange's extradition, Australia’s Foreign Minister also echoed Prime Minister Albanese's words. Earlier that day, French MP, Mr. Jean-Luc Mélenchon,…