I thank the Minister for his response. We accept that while the current CAP is higher than before, he must realise that in real terms it is substantially reduced as Irish farmers are dealing with rising costs of doing business while at the same time being expected to do more with their payments. The CAP was brought in for food production first, but at this stage it has been eaten up by green issues and climate change. The amount of bureaucracy and red tape piled onto farmers now means they are doing more work for m…

I accept what the Aire is saying, but could he tell us what was the result of the extra push when he sought the extra money? Earlier in the year, the agriculture committee in Europe said that given the rate of inflation, tens of billions of euro were effectively wiped off CAP. This affects every farmer in the country. The Minister has a duty of care to represent them and to get the highest allocation possible under CAP. The Minister said he pushed for extra funding. Could he tell us how much extra he received or if…

I ask how the European Council intends to respond to the agreement involving the US providing cluster ammunitions to Ukraine. I need not remind the House that the convention on cluster ammunitions was adopted in Dublin in 2008 and the treaty applies to more than 100 states. I note that this news emerged well after the Council meeting but one of the messages that came out of last month’s meeting was a welcome for the establishment of the Council of Europe’s register of damage caused by the aggression of the Russian …

I thank the Independent Group for tabling this Private Member's business and Deputies Kerrane and O'Rourke for the amendment. Urgent action is needed to address the fact that when it comes to our climate, future generations are under threat but the manner in which the nature restoration plan was initially presented rightly caused considerable concern among farmers and rural communities. When the initial text was published, questions arose as to whether rewetting would be an obligation or voluntary, why a socioecono…

We had the nursing home providers in here last week. In my view, the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, insulted and belittled them with his patronising remarks when he called them "mom and pop" providers. These are professionally run homes by these families. The Minister had some cheek. Like I said, these are professional owners. They are nursing home operators and have been for decades now. They contacted me during the week and told me how belittled and insulted they felt by the Minister's remarks when he called …

I did not ask that. I asked whether the Taoiseach or Minister will make an apology for calling them "mom and pop" operators.

Ordinary workers and journalists at RTÉ, as well as the fee-paying public, all feel utterly betrayed when they hear of the slush funds and barter accounts in the golden circles at RTÉ. One of the main issues here is trust, a quality that features prominently on the RTÉ website. Trust has been lost and will be very difficult to regain. There must be serious changes going forward. The top earners in RTÉ are paid too much in the first place. The argument that they must be paid obscene amounts to keep them in RTÉ has g…

I also thank the Rural Independent Group for putting this motion before the House. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this today. Many aspects reflect on the inconsistent way this Government has treated our farmers and the contradictory message it has been sending rural Ireland in what is almost a traditional approach by the Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Green Party Government. Everyone in the House will be well aware that, not long ago, farmers were advised to expand their dairy production capacity. Quotas were abo…

Read it all.

I hope the Minister replays his multiple mom and pop statements later. Has he listened to any of the people in the Public Gallery who are telling him that they are losing beds and their sector is in trouble? I welcome the chance to speak on this issue because it has been clear for some time that, as the population has aged, the cost of doing business has increased and the funding model has continued, the sector is facing challenges that need to be addressed urgently. Back in April, representatives of a number of sm…

Only last week, I referred to how apprentices were excluded from the national minimum wage. I make no apologies for repeating that. In speaking about apprenticeships, we are speaking about workers, including the workers of the future. We are also speaking about what it means to work and the conditions one should expect in the workplace. Furthermore, we are speaking about the value that the Government puts on people in training. Its deferral of a recent Bill in the Seanad that aimed to ensure that all apprentices we…

I want to raise the untenable situation of community pharmacists as they remain subject to the cuts imposed due to the financial crisis. They are the only sector in healthcare who remain in this position. Given the acknowledgement of the great service provided by them during the pandemic and generally in light of lengthy GP waiting lists I have asked the Minister to fully and openly engage with the sector, which is now demanding that pay be restored in line with the public sector pay arrangement and to leave nothin…

This is a year of anniversaries. Thirty years ago, homosexuality was decriminalised, 40 years ago a march from Liberty Hall to Fairview Park took place, which led to the first Dublin Pride parade in the same year, and 50 years ago, in 1973, the sexual liberation movement was established in Trinity College, laying the groundwork for transformative change. A lot of progress has been made in the intervening years but there is still more to do. In March, An Garda Síochána revealed that there had been a 29% increase in …

The current cost-of-living crisis is having a profound effect on many families. Inflation is having an impact on how far family budgets can stretch. While measures to reduce inflation have been taken, primarily by the ECB through interest rate hikes, they are adding to the outgoings for mortgage holders. For those renting, the costs are significant and in many cases bear little relation to the ability of families to put a roof over their heads while providing for their needs. With pressures like these, exercising t…

I know the Minister of State is present on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, so I thank him for that. Since I was elected to this House in 2020, taxi operators have consistently outlined to me that their livelihoods are in serious trouble due to illegal operators. I have tabled many parliamentary questions to the Minister over the past couple of years concerning the ability of the National Transport Authority, NTA, to tackle the problem. The responses I have received have done little to convi…

As I said earlier, this is nothing we have not heard before from the Minister. The only thing that is different, which I have in front of me from the Minister and the NTA, is there were only 54 prosecutions last year. In his reply, the Minister of State said that this figure has gone up to 65 fixed penalty payment notices and 146 prosecutions. I do not know who is doing the maths in the Department of Transport but 146 is a long way away from 54. The same thing is being done year after year but it has not worked. Ta…

I also thank Deputy Paul Murphy and People Before Profit for introducing this legislation. This is an issue on which Senator Gavan has been campaigning for some time. He has done a massive amount of work. To discriminate against some people in society with sub-minimum rates of pay, which is what we are discussing, goes against the principle of equal pay for equal work. Such discrimination does not take into account the unique situations in which some of our people find themselves. It is also a poor reflection on th…

We should have a round of applause after that.

The document we are speaking about here is heavy on ambition, but unfortunately it lacks detailed timelines and some aspects of it appear to ignore key elements of what a rural community needs. Listening to some of the Government Members sitting across from me, I wonder if we are living in the same country at all. To give the Minister credit, there are areas that have benefitted, but there are large sections of rural Ireland that have been totally ignored under this Government and previous governments. While the Mi…

I also extend a welcome to the President of the Parliament of Cyprus and her delegation. I hope the effectiveness of this Bill will be reviewed in the near future, and regularly, so that we do not face another scenario where new ways are found to sell nicotine products to children. It would be useful to have regular reviews of this Bill so that, as legislators, we can keep on top of this matter and ensure situations in which children can buy products which contain nicotine is never repeated. We must ensure the meas…