Like the Taoiseach, I have met families whose lives have been destroyed by the scandal of mica and pyrite. We have all seen the gaping cracks in the side walls of houses and the holes appearing under windows and doors. We know that the level of financial distress and stigma is huge. I raised this issue with the Tánaiste nearly five weeks ago because Sligo County Council had written to the relevant Minister stating that a minimum of 140 houses in west Sligo have been significantly damaged by pyrite. I am asking for …

I acknowledge those who travelled to Dublin today, mainly from Donegal and Mayo, to demand, rightly, 100% redress. None of us in the Chamber can imagine the horror of looking at the walls of our homes as they split, as gaps appear between the walls and the floor and as holes open up beside doors and windows. None of us can imagine that awful pain in the pit of our stomachs. I thank Sinn Féin for this timely and important motion and I recognise that the Government is not opposing it. I will table an amendment to inc…

I move amendment No. 1: (a) To insert the word “Sligo” after “in Donegal, Mayo and Clare”; (b) To insert the word “Sligo” after “homeowners in Clare”; and (c) To insert the word “Sligo” after “provide those affected by defective blocks in Donegal, Mayo, Clare,”.

I also congratulate the Acting Chairman on the birth of his granddaughter; it is a happy time. I sincerely thank my colleague, Deputy Connolly, for bringing forward this motion, which me and all my colleagues in the Independent Group were happy to sign. This motion refers to the national maternity strategy, the recommendations of the Sláintecare report on implementing that strategy and the HIQA report, which monitors the national standards. In the short time available, I will concentrate on the 2020 HIQA report. It…

I thought I had five minutes. We have eight minutes and 49 seconds left, according to the clock.

What time do we have left?

Then I will defer to my colleague. This is not right. This should have been sorted during the debate. I will not complain or take Deputy Connolly's time. It is not good enough, however.

Absolutely.

Okay, I will be as brief as I can. I do not want to take from Deputy Connolly's time. As I said, the HIQA report found high levels of compliance overall. It was clear from reading this report that there are weak links in the chain, however. That is why we have a national maternity strategy in place. While there is progress, we can see that certain gaps exist and until those gaps are filled, women and babies will be at risk. One of the conclusions from the HIQA report stated, "The HSE needs to immediately develop a …

I want to raise the issue of the complete downgrading of Sligo from the perspective of policing. Approximately 18 months ago, there was a complete U-turn on building a new Garda station. The OPW had purchased a new site and plans were drawn up to build this badly needed Garda station. Even though all that money was spent and promises were made, a complete U-turn saw the entire project scrapped and a completely useless refurbishment programme set in place. Yesterday, Garda management in Sligo, the OPW and the local …

I thank the Taoiseach for his response and for undertaking to speak to the Minister for Justice. It is the case that many of these decisions are operational. However, I have a letter from the Minister dated 16 February telling me that a review of the decision to build a new station in Sligo determined the project to be no longer justified. What does that mean? Back in 2017, more than 150 gardaí walked out of Sligo station because of deplorable working conditions. How bad was it for that to happen? This is not a pol…

The recent abduction of Roman Protasevich and Sofia Sapega was an act of air piracy that should shock us all. It was a brazen upfront demonstration on the part of Belarus that it will do whatever it wants on its own territory and elsewhere in its efforts to silence those who try to hold its Government to account. This act further reflects the growing authoritarianism that is insidiously creeping across the world, backed and supported by other authoritarian regimes. Here in Ireland, we sit comfortably in our homes b…

I am up here in the gods. Like many other Deputies, I have real concerns about the proposed amendments. As Deputy Stanton has told us, we are looking at four amendments. Two relate to health, one relates to emergency measures in the public interest and one relates to criminal justice enforcement powers. These amendments were put in place to deal with an emergency. As the nature of the emergency has changed since we first put the measures in place, we have to take account of those changes when we are discussing thes…

Okay. I have been flying but that does not matter. The other issue is the rolling sunset clauses. These are not acceptable. I have listened to a good bit of this debate but I did not catch it all. I believe I might have heard somewhere that the Minister is willing to amend the wording. I am not sure about that but I hope he is. In truth, however, it tells us a great deal about the mindset of those drafting the legislation and of those who approved the legislation that these provisions remained in the draft legislat…

It has been obvious for decades that practices in the meat processing sector have created fortunes for factory owners, with continuing low incomes for all beef farmers from weighmen to sellers to finishers. Beef farmers have consistently been unable to earn a living wage and are only sustained by direct payments from CAP. Factory owners have acted in concert to keep prices to farmers down and in the process, have forced farmer-owned factories out of business. This has led to a de facto cabal of private meat factori…

I raise the urgent need to provide independent living accommodation for adults with intellectual disabilities in Manorhamilton in County Leitrim. The Taoiseach will not be familiar with the specifics, but I have emailed his office and the Minister of State with responsibility in this area, Deputy Rabbitte, with the facts. Seven years ago, a few families in Manorhamilton started working with Leitrim County Council and the HSE to provide this accommodation. Family members are, of course, extremely worried that as the…

Whoever said it was easier to lock down due to Covid rather than to open up was not wrong. We have, however, come to a point now where we must bite the bullet. All our actions take place in context and while the situation is fluid, the headlines around vaccination, hospitalisations, antigen testing, and now the EU green certificate, are all encouraging. Biting the bullet means that we now need clarity on opening up aviation. We need a roadmap to guide us. We need a funding package that underpins the opening up of t…

I thank Deputy Brady for bringing forward this motion, to which I was happy to add my name. When it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there are no easy answers. If there were, we would have found them by now. A two-state solution is the only solution but it only works where there is trust. There is no trust. We have seen one UN Security Council resolution after another flagrantly ignored and dismissed by Israel. We see Palestinians herded into the open prison of the Gaza Strip, often with no proper access …

I want to ask the Minister if the proposed eco-schemes in the new CAP will be subject to internal convergence and if there will be equality of access and opportunities for all farmers to the schemes. Will farmers get paid for what they do, as distinct from the current greening payment, which is linked to historical entitlements from more than 20 years ago?

I understand that negotiations are still ongoing, and we have the super trilogues coming up. I am aware of the respective positions of the Council, the Parliament and the Commission. My question to the Minister is about the policy being pursued by the Government. What is Ireland's position in the Council on the eco-schemes? Does he support a flat-rate payment not connected in any way to historical entitlements? Second, does the Minister expect the eco-schemes to start out at 15% or 20% in the first year and increas…