A word to the families in Sligo.

Once we look after everybody else, we will look after the people in Sligo.

On a point of order.

You have not allowed me to tell you yet. The point of order is very specifically, and I know the rules on points of order, that on Questions on Promised Legislation we are all entitled to make our case to be involved, and for over a year now you have, with your-----

It certainly is.

It certainly is. You have consistently put me into the last three speakers, where I am lucky to get 30 seconds, while others enjoy the benefit of celebrating the local sausage manufacturers and the prizes they win for a minute and ten seconds.

I have not the slightest intention, until you show a little bit less discrimination and positively discriminate for actual Independents rather than those, like yourself, who join and form de facto parties and get to speak three or four times every day.

I am just asking that I might get more than 30 seconds every two weeks-----

-----and I wish you would study the Standing Orders and accept the fact that this is a legitimate point-----

As the Minister and the Minister for Finance put the final touches to the finance Bill, in welcoming many measures in the budget, could I ask that they use this opportunity, as late in the day as it is, to reverse the decision to place a 10% levy on concrete blocks? As a property professional, I can tell the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform that the proposal is counterproductive to the Government's own balance sheet and to our policy to promote housing. In addition, will the Minister also use the opportun…

While I welcome the extra €67 million allocated to the Department of Defence in budget 2023, on the day that PDFORRA delegates are meeting throughout the country, and acknowledging that they have lost 300 staff this year alone, I ask the Taoiseach to provide a timeframe for tangible increases in the pay of soldiers, airmen and seamen.

I welcome the announcement of the increase in the minimum wage. I encourage the Government to accelerate it towards being a living wage. Given the inordinate pressures on SMEs, which are now responsible for employing, with other companies, some 2.5 million people nationwide, I ask that measures specific to SMEs be included in next week's budget to enable them to offset a proportion of the cost of the increase in the minimum wage. While it is important that we have these increases, it is also important that we maint…

As the Minister well knows, a national review of specialist cardiac services has been going on on the never-never since 2019. I have in my hand a confidential briefing provided by Professor Philip Nolan and his group to others, dated 8 March 2022, which leaves a gaping wound in the north west of the country, where there is no recommendation for the provision of a cardiac catheterisation laboratory facility. To do that, in line with international best practice, when somebody has a serious incident, that person shoul…

I welcome the opportunity to make a few points on this issue. In the context of a previous matter, another Deputy appealed to the Minister of State to make work permits available to people who are prepared to join the workforce in Ireland as carers because there is such a shortage of staff in this area. I would support that as something which may help to address the problem. We are reaping the rewards of a very short-sighted approach taken some ten to 12 years ago, when financial challenges were to the forefront an…

Unfortunately, we are doing exactly what I said we should not do, in respect of having a group for this, a chat about that, an expert group on the other and a cross-departmental team on something else. The reality is that this is a problem now. When we get to early autumn and into winter, it is going to be a much worse problem. We must pay home carers more money and remunerate them for adequate expenses, especially given the astronomical rise in costs. If we do not do that, then we will have a major problem in our …

As the Taoiseach knows there is a chronic crisis with the cost of living at the moment, much of it brought on by the war in Ukraine and other issues. He will be aware from his party's commitments in the election of another group in society who have been suffering with the cost of living for many years, members of our Defence Forces. We have procrastinated over the commission on the review of pay for members of the Defence Forces for some considerable time. The Representative Association of Commissioned Officers, RA…

Page 119 of the programme for Government commits to ensuring transparency to protect and to enhance democracy. Given recent allegations concerning a member of An Bord Pleanála, does the Taoiseach agree that the deputy chairperson of the board was correct in stepping aside without prejudice pending investigation of these allegations? If the Taoiseach agrees, as I assume he does, how can he reconcile this with the Tánaiste continuing in office while, following an investigation by An Garda Síochána, a file was sent to…

Indeed, a DPP file would be more serious. Would the Taoiseach agree?

Some people do not get 40 opportunities.

Will the Taoiseach make himself available to answer questions in the House for a lengthy period rather than 30 seconds on the obscurity around public appointments? There is a crisis in confidence about public accountability in the senior echelons of our Civil Service. Following today's interview by the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, accounting for the secondment to Trinity College Dublin, TCD, at €187,000 per year, which is a multimillion euro cost to the taxpayer, there is a crisis and people like m…