They are not agreed.

Postmasters and postmistresses up and down the country have served this country well for decades, never more so than during the Covid pandemic in recent years. Now, they are being cast aside. We have had many reports, including the Grant Thornton report. Last night the Irish Postmasters Union, IPU, threatened strike action, which is very stiff action by it. It does not usually do this, as its members serve the people. The IPU is being ignored by the Government, and successive Governments of which the Tánaiste has b…

Blaming the Business Committee again.

I raise intervention services and early intervention for children with additional needs such as speech and language therapy etc. Before Covid, many people in my constituency experienced delays of 13 or 14 months. That has now gone up to 37 months. That is three years. This is appalling. Children with additional needs are waiting for assessment in many cases and then waiting for services and their parents are told we do not have any speech and language therapists. Speech and language therapists tell us they cannot g…

I am glad to speak on this issue. I do not like the agenda for all these meetings when I see that item two is security and defence. Our neutrality is certainly being steadily undermined. I see President Biden will also join this meeting on its first day. I thank local communities, daoine na hÉireann and those in every hamlet in Ireland who are putting their hands up again. Deputy Fitzpatrick spoke earlier. I do not often agree with him but I do on this occasion. It is time the Government stopped huffing and puffing…

I too thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion. I do not know how many motions or debates we will have to have in order to get the Minister and the Government to have respect for the people who we are supposed to represent. We should respect them as ordinary, hard-working, decent people. I say this because at the moment the Minister is driving them to misery and into perishing in their homes. They are unable to drive when they have to drive. The genie is out of the bottle. We know that the Government is the…

I compliment the proposals in this motion, but we have to be sensible and sensitive in how we deal with this area. The opportunity to highlight the positives of working from home is really presented here. Remote and flexible working can offer a renewed vigour to the Government plans, if the Government has the plans. The post offices have been floundering for decades and the Government has been promising everything and giving them nothing. I put it to the Minister of State that there are issues here for smaller empl…

The Government does not know what is going on anyway.

Where are they?

The Taoiseach will be getting his marching papers.

Look in the mirror.

What is it going to take to get the Taoiseach and his Government to act to help our people, from our elderly to our children? The paltry efforts being talked about now include the reduction of 20 cent a litre in the price of petrol, 15 cent a litre for road diesel, 2 cent a litre, which is an insult, for green diesel, the price of which has more than doubled in the past year, and nothing for home heating oil. This is an insult to the people we are supposed to represent. The Taoiseach is more beholden to Europe and …

You will not-----

The lackeys of Europe.

The lackeys of Europe and the globalists.

Múinteoir scoile.

I am glad to have an opportunity to say a few words on this issue. Hate speech and hate crimes do not come in any one shape or form. They happen across all sectors of society. A case was presented to me recently concerning members of official bodies in Ireland and some of the texts and other abuse that is happening. I have spoken before to the Minister about the abuse prison officers receive. The Prison Officers Association has talked about this but neither the Minister nor any of the superior people here seem to b…

I am glad the Minister is here because I have some questions. I was in the Chair earlier and listened attentively to his opening speech. What is happening is unbelievable and bizarre. It is grotesque, unprecedented, bizarre and unbelievable, GUBU. We are back in the days of the 1980s. The people cannot survive. I cannot understand the disconnect and why Government backbenchers are not telling the Government that. Are they in hiding? The people are infuriated with the cost of living. The war is horrific and what is …

I support this and I thank the staff. I have not seen sight of the books. I do not blame the staff. This has been so rushed and there is so little time. I support the call for a recess. I know it means we will sit later but it is necessary in fairness to everybody.

On a point of order, the EU Commission has been encouraging member states since last October to take all measures necessary to reduce food prices. This is utterly untrue.