I thank the Taoiseach. I do not dispute the city-led approach. I am saying the northern and western region cannot benefit from it to the same extent as other regions. We need a more nuanced approach. The Taoiseach mentioned all the great projects in Sligo. I could say we have not had a road project in 20 years. I could quote the Northern and Western Regional Assembly report, which states that we are not getting our fair share in regard to regional projects in the NDP, but that is not the point. The Taoiseach and I …

May I have a little bit of time to ask my question?

I want to raise the totally unacceptable backlog in local improvement scheme, LIS, applications in County Leitrim. I am not referring to applications that are one, two, three, four or even five years old. I am referring to applications from as far back as 2008 and 2009. As the Taoiseach knows, the scheme was suspended from 2012 to 2017. In County Leitrim, people are still dealing with applications submitted before 2012. There is no funding for new applications and it is a huge issue. Approximately €3 million would …

First, I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this important motion on regional transport infrastructure, which, if delivered, would be an important component in helping to deliver balanced regional development. It is worth examining where we are right now and the latest figures in regard to roads and road spend. The most recent figures that I have are from the Northern and Western Regional Assembly. Between 2008 and 2018, the average national road spend per kilometre in the north and west region was €87,000, in th…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am very pleased to have the opportunity to present the Credit Union (Amendment) Bill 2021. This Bill proposes to amend the objects of credit unions in order to allow them to extend the range of services they can provide to their members without a long list of permissions and processes, as is currently required by the Central Bank. As it stands, the list of services that any credit union can provide without that special permission is enumerated in the Credit Union…

Yes. I thank the Deputy.

I have listened to my colleagues. There is huge support for credit unions but what matters is that we translate that soft support into legislation and a framework that gives essential support for credit unions. We have heard many fine words here today and that is fine, but credit unions have been existing on fine words for far too long. That is why I proposed this Bill. It is not a final word on what is needed; rather, it is an opportunity for this House to put in place proportionate legislation to support the cred…

As it stands, it is the intention of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Ryan, to grant prospecting licences for base metals, silver and gold in respect of certain townlands in Leitrim. While I am aware of the difference between prospecting licences and mining licences, the simple fact is local communities do not want mining companies to get their foot in the door. They do not want carbon-heavy extractive industries, such as the mining industry, because they are not sustainable or a…

I want to raise the issue of what I believe is the Minister's intention to grant prospecting licences for base metals, gold and silver ores, in a significant number of townlands in Leitrim. The prospecting licences were initially given to Omagh Minerals but they expired in 2020 and new licences have been applied for by Flintridge, a new company. However, three of its four officers are former officers of Omagh Minerals. The Minister's intention has come as a shock and a nasty surprise to the local community for a nu…

I thank the Minister. This week, every single member of Leitrim County Council supported a motion asking him not to grant a prospecting licence for gold mining. That is a very strong statement. Every single councillor from all the different parties and all independent councillors asked him not to grant this prospecting licence. I mentioned fracking earlier. It is worth noting that petroleum licensing options were granted by a Fianna Fáil-Green Party government. We are lucky that the then Minister, Pat Rabbitte, ref…

I am pleased to be able to support this Bill. I thank the Regional Group for bringing forward this important legislation. Like many previous speakers, I can say that one of the issues that has been raised with me time and again is that there is a postcode lottery when it comes to the provision of services to children and adults with autism. The Bill we are debating takes a strategic approach in proposing a cross-departmental, multi-agency ASD strategy. It means that the services will be joined up, which is very imp…

I have raised the issue of the U-turn by the previous Government on building a new Garda station in Sligo with the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste many times. I have even had questions to the Minister for Justice disallowed. I did receive some information as to what happened but no matter how many times I ask whether a cost-benefit analysis was done on the decision to refurbish an almost 200-year-old Garda station instead of going ahead with the promised new build which had allocated funding and a new site purchased by …

I cannot get an answer.

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend certain provisions of the Credit Union Act 1997, in particular, to provide for the amendment of the objects of credit unions to include the provision to its members of additional financial services as are for their mutual benefit; to provide for the establishment of a Credit Union Policy Committee; and to provide for miscellaneous matters relating to credit unions. As a long-term member of and advocate for credit unions, I am pleased to have…

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

The next European Council meeting will certainly keep the Taoiseach busy. Much of the preparatory work will be done by 21 October. Nonetheless, some important issues will be on the table. Among the headline topics are the response to Covid-19, soaring energy prices, digital transformation and some upcoming international summits. However, since Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki commandeered the microphone in the European Parliament yesterday and accused EU institutions of undermining Polish sovereignty, the stage ha…

On behalf of the Independent Group, I extend our sincere sympathy to the family, friends and constituents of the late Sir David Amess. To his wife, Julia, and his daughters and son, we say we stand in solidarity with them to recognise and remember a man who they, in their own words, describe as strong and courageous, a patriot and a man of peace. The brutal murder of David Amess was a senseless and shocking act. The context in which it occurred matters very much and while it must be noted, its discussion is for ano…

We are discussing a directive that relates directly to the free movement of capital across borders in the EU and the necessity of ensuring robust and comprehensive legislation and systems to protect individuals and member states from the negative effects of money laundering. Member states have a duty to set up centralised bank account registries, which must be interconnected, thereby allowing for a single European access point. The designated authorities will be able to access information from those registries, suc…

It is not an exaggeration to say that budget 2022 ghosted agriculture. By and large, it did not feature. I accept that schemes were rolled over and some small but very welcome investments were made in forestry, organic farming, etc., but there was nothing new. There was nothing substantial for a sector that is supposed to do much of the heavy lifting when it comes to reducing emissions. Current programmes will not deliver those reductions. Farmers were waiting for policy options and support in the interim between n…

The Tánaiste is correct that the families of farmers are all members of society and they benefit from some of the changes in the budget, but it was promised that there would be a ring-fencing of a certain proportion of the money from the carbon tax for agriculture and we are being told farmers will get it but not yet. My question still stands, which is whether the Department is ready to roll out programmes so that this money can be spent. The Tánaiste states there was a 2% increase. I am not an expert on looking at…