I call it as it is.

It is clear to be seen.

I congratulate the Minister of State on this. We have had many battles over St. Brigid's hospital, Carrick-on-Suir. We have been waiting for equality and fairness for farming families and self-employed people. My colleagues in the Rural Independent Group and I will table amendments because there are still anomalies regarding farmers not being treated fairly. Regardless of how long it took to get this right, everyone accepted it was wrong. It took four or five years to get to where we are. The former Minister of Sta…

I rise to support Deputy Fitzpatrick's amendment, which is very sensible and, as he said, would not result in an impediment or a cost on the taxpayer. This legislation is welcome. The people of Ireland are paying back and their grandchildren will pay back the banks for the savagely expensive bailout they got. The banks are not being fair. There is not a lot of refuge or solace in the courts either, especially for lay litigants forced into a situation in which they have no recourse to finance to pay for lawyers or b…

I am delighted to be able to say a few words on this rushed legislation. We are closing the stable door long after the horse has bolted. The horses have been dancing around the Curragh. We saw before the financial crash the people who were visiting the tents, playing golf, attending race meetings and minding the horses. We saw where that got us. We invited these investors in. I accept that there were a number of problems at the time, however. We could not get money. Our banks were broke - or they were supposed to b…

I too am objecting to the House sitting tonight until 12.30 a.m. When we are trying to talk about a staff-friendly environment, those hours are crazy. We need to start earlier or do something else. I am objecting to the business on the basis that the theory test situation is absolutely laughable. I have raised this here with the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Minister for Transport. Someone needs to get a hold on this. Businesses and farmers cannot survive and young people cannot go to work.

I want a debate on it. I want the Minister for Transport to come in here, get the Road Safety Authority to cop on and allow the theory test to be restarted.

I rise to ask about the situation regarding a new Garda station in Clonmel for our hard-working gardaí under Superintendent Willie Leahy. This issue was first raised in the House by the late Deputy Seán Treacy more than 50 years ago and, indeed, the late Councillor Ambrose, who was laid to rest last week was often on about it. We are waiting and waiting. The station is in a bundle or package of three or four but we cannot wait. It is a Dickensian building not fit for the Garda or the public. We have had many report…

I am delighted to have some time to speak on this matter this evening. Following the inquest into the 1971 Ballymurphy massacre, it is now being established beyond doubt that the victims that day, Fr. Hugh Mullan, Francis Quinn, Joan Connolly, Daniel Teggart, Noel Phillips, Joseph Murphy, Edward Doherty, Joseph Corr, John Laverty and John James McKerr, were innocent. Things went on in Northern Ireland and we will never get a final peace if we cannot have honesty and reconciliation, and acceptance by the British gov…

We can talk in here until the cows come home about affordable housing but Government policy, especially since the Green Party went into government and got its way on so many issues, means that affordable housing is a pipe dream. Every action the Government is taking is adding huge costs, including the cost of insulation and timber, because we cannot cut forests, and the costs of all the other materials we have to import. It is just pure nonsense. People must be mesmerised and sick to the teeth of listening to us ta…

The CEO of the HSE, the Minister for Health and many other Ministers have said they want the current restrictions on partners visiting maternity hospitals lifted. I wrote to my hospital in south Tipperary, which is an excellent hospital with excellent maternity and neonatal wards. All my children and my eight grandchildren were born there. The letter I received from the hospital stated that it would examine this issue and might make some small changes. Why is there is such dysfunction and such an unlevel playing fi…

On behalf of the Rural Independent Group, I compliment and thank the Taoiseach for his observations yesterday on An Taisce with regard to the 100 high-end jobs and thousands of farm families. I am worried because the two Green Party Ministers of State came out and literally attacked the Taoiseach. I am worried about the comments made by the Minister, Deputy Ryan, at the launch of the OECD report on Monday with regard to removing the VAT exemptions on fertilisers and animal feeds as well as tax concessions on fuel u…

I am delighted to speak on this legislation, although it is probably eight or ten years too late. When the banking crisis hit, we saw the vulture funds arrive and we saw the mushrooming of the legal eagles and everybody else, no disrespect to the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. We saw what went on in the courts. I have been present at so many evictions and my colleagues, Deputies Nolan and Michael Collins visited KBC Bank after the events at Strokestown. We also visited a private security company in Tipperary with one Jerry…

I am sorry to hear about the nasty incident the Deputy experienced some time ago.

I move amendment No. 7: In page 12, between lines 27 and 28, to insert the following: “(b) in Regulation 12, by the substitution of the following for paragraph (2): “(2) The Minister shall notify every owner and occupier of any land proposed, but not yet included, as a candidate site of community importance, or in any modification thereof, of the proposal to potentially include the land in the candidate site of community importance and the said notification issued by the Minister under this paragraph shall include,…

The Minister will have seen that we submitted several amendments, most of which we withdraw. However, we are not withdrawing this amendment. I am surprised that the Minister of State would not accept it, considering we withdrew many other amendments. The Minister of State might consider some of those other amendments as frivolous but this amendment is vital. The designation of land without consultation is simply not fair. It is something like the security industry and what is happening with evictions. This is simil…

I understand.

Gabh mo leithscéal, is the Leas-Cheann Comhairle taking the amendment that was just discussed?

Even for that amendment?

Vótáil.