The Government will not even talk to it.

Every person and citizen in this country was rightly concerned by what they saw happening in west Dublin the other night. There is a situation in Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir in County Tipperary whereby we do not have enough gardaí. We are in a frightful state of lack of numbers. Community policing is the only way to deal with these issues. I welcome the newly appointed Sergeant Denis Ryan to Clonmel but the gardaí there have to cover a large area and there is a lack of numbers. The powers that be in An Garda Síochá…

Ar an gcéad dul síos ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leis an Aire Stáit. We are delighted to see him back in harness. Whatever he does this time, I ask him not to let anyone try to attempt to take it off him. He was a capable and engaging Minister the previous time I dealt with him from 2007 to 2011 and since then, and I wish him well with the portfolio. Regarding this legislation, the Screening of Third Country Transactions Bill 2022 from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, yes FDI has play…

Okay. I am delighted to be able to speak briefly on Second Stage of this important legislation, which is badly needed. I look forward to the Minister passing and enacting it because the pernicious activities that go on with online content are quite shocking. As adults, we can deal with it but we have seen horrible cases in the past. As we know, people have been under very significant pressures. Some people have lost their lives as a result of it. This legislation is a long time coming and is badly needed. Some of t…

I am delighted to speak to amendment No. 2 and related amendments Nos. 10 to 16, inclusive. Amendment No. 2 relates to infrastructure, pedestrians, cyclists and CCTV. In case the Minister calls us “climate change deniers” and everything else - we are not - but we cannot put the cart before the horse and that is what the Government has done here. The Government has put the horse, the donkey, the jennet and the whole lot before the cart. We do not have the infrastructure - full stop. While this legislation is well an…

Yes, and lithium. Where are these mined from? The Minister has issues and hang-ups with fracked gas and bringing oil in from Barryroe. He has issues about LNG storage. Does he not mind child labour? I am shocked and appalled by the Members in this House who will not even refer to it. Child labour is used to mine cobalt for these batteries. The children are seven and eight years of age. This is our new dream electric industry built on the backs and the sweat and blood of children. It sickens me to the bloody core of…

I am disappointed that the Minister did not reply to some of the questions we asked him. We asked him to tell us whether we are right or wrong.

I know. I am disappointed that we did not hear. These amendments are fine. It is a shame that any Member would put down any such amendments to try to undermine and dismiss the elected members of local authorities. I know the Deputy himself was a member of Limerick local authority for some time.

All right, whatever. It is a pity. They work hard, they do not have many powers and their powers have been eroded. This beggars belief. We want to bring in powers to empower or overpower An Bord Pleanála and there is not a mention of it this time but there are question marks over An Bord Pleanála. I speak to engineers regularly in Tipperary County Council and Waterford County Council who tell me they cannot get a penny to repair a bridge or do any kind of major works. If it is not something to do with greenways or …

Where does that kind of thinking leave us in this Parliament? The biggest attack here is on the elected members and their powers, which are limited enough. We cannot have a road straightening for safety if we have a bad bend. We put up with it all summer, every summer that we cannot cut the briars. The bushes hanging out and briars could take the eyes off a cyclist or tear their face. We cannot cut them between 1 March and July. Surely to God health and safety must be somewhere in the balance with road safety. It i…

Look in the mirror.

Does the Taoiseach want a mirror?

We are completely overtaxed.

He will not answer.

A big tax take.

Which target is that?

I ask the Taoiseach again today about discrimination against bus drivers aged over 70. I salute every man and woman in Bus Éireann and private companies who bring our children and grandchildren to school and home safely. There is chaos at the moment in regard to tickets. Many companies have two or three drivers who are approaching 70 and they will no longer be able to carry children to school when they reach 70. This is discrimination. We have raised this issue countless times. The Minister of State at the Departme…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. I thought there was a Sinn Féin speaker before me. I am delighted to be able to speak on this subject.

I am pleased to be able to speak on this legislation. This Bill seeks to bring some decorum or measure of change and adjustment to what is needed. This whole area needs massive change. We can have all the regulations and Bills like this and all the grandiose titles and amendments, memorandums and everything else, but people want services. The Minister of State knows that. A Teachta Dála living in any constituency knows this about the services having the required healthcare professionals to deliver these services in…

I support the motion tabled by Sinn Féin. It is if the Government is saying, “Do as I say and not as I do.”. “Lead by example” is an old adage that stood well in this country. However, Deputy Tóibín gave the appalling example of State buildings to show that the Government and public bodies do not give a whim about saving energy and retrofitting. There is no such thing as retrofitting. The schemes are too onerous. There is a massive waiting list, not enough money and people have to invest a lot to get a report done …