Again, I am disappointed that the Minister would simply refuse these amendments, just like that. As for the lecture on alienation, I wonder what his own party is doing so wrong that its language is not working when it comes to the polls. It has alienated quite a lot of people. Then we got the lecture about us holding public meetings. It is true that I often chaired public meetings-----

I am speaking to the amendments, which the Minister has replied to and rejected. I am just saying that I attended and chaired many public meetings as a layperson before ever I was in politics. I am not suggesting that politicians would do that when they are in power. The Minister suggested that we would be trying to garner support or whatever. We did not go around north Dublin setting trees the day before an election, like his former colleague, Ray Burke, did. He should look to his own party's history and not be le…

I am replying to the Minister. He has replied to the points we made. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle herself mentioned alienation.

The amendment proposes to have public meetings and the Minister has set his face against it. He is talking about hybrids and whatever else. He should remember that I did not go to Germany and I did not go down to see J. P. McManus. We are lucky to have J.P. McManus. I am sticking to the amendment and the issues around it, which is about keeping the public engaged. Ní neart go cur le chéile. We have to keep them engaged with us. I am very disappointed that the Minister will not accept our amendment and has set his f…

It is very late. If there are people at home who may be watching this debate at this hour of the night, I, too, am concerned about the priorities of this Government and successive Governments and the lack of legislation around banking. It is the wild west out there as far as the banking sector goes. They banks can do what they like, and have done what they like and got away with it. Other legislation that is badly needed has not been brought forward. A former of Minister of State, who was pushing for this legislati…

I compliment Deputies Eoghan Murphy and Duncan Smith for facilitating this important date. It is 75 years since the United States committed the unspeakable crime of using nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in 1945 and a historic milestone has finally been achieved, with nuclear weapons declared illegal under a new United Nations treaty. I regularly use the adage, "tosach maith, leath na hoibre", and it certainly was a tosach maith by Mr. Frank Aiken, who was a visionary in his time. I wonder about t…

The Taoiseach would want to get real.

It is Christmas.

I, too, am very concerned about this lack of debate and lack of discussion of the vaccine programme. I asked the Taoiseach about this some time ago and he dismissed me, as Deputy Connolly said, with a "get real". I am asking him to get real. The Rural Independent Group has 6.5 minutes to contribute to the debate on Thursday. Is that all we can get? Is that the meagre amount of time the Government is prepared to give us in a debate on this very serious issue? A no-fault compensation scheme is not even being discusse…

The Taoiseach has done so.

The Taoiseach should tell the truth.

Then why can we not have a debate on it?

A company in Tipperary called KB Sports is owned by Mr. Kieran Bergin and it has become involved with online trading and parcel delivery. It has 16 workers and is to employ 17 more. The company has a large number of deliveries to make as it is one of the top 50 online shippers in Ireland. It has hundreds or thousands of deliveries to make. The company was informed by An Post out of the blue that the final shipping date for Christmas was 14 December. It was not made aware of that date beforehand. The company decided…

It can do as it likes.

I want to compliment Deputy Ó Broin for introducing legislation on this very complex issue. I worked with the Deputy on the Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government, as it was then called, and I know how dedicated he is to this area. Deputy O'Donoghue is a member of the current version of that committee. We have talked and talked about this issue and published report after report. As Deputy O'Donoghue stated, even as we try to deal with the housing crisis, the Government levies enormous taxation in respe…

I wish to raise the disgraceful and diabolical decision to close St. Brigid's District Hospital in Carrick-on-Suir that was made on a whim yesterday morning. On 27 April, I raised this with the Tánaiste. I raised it in the House again on 1 July, 11 August and in September, October and November. At 7.20 p.m. on Sunday last, I got an email from Ms Barbara Murphy indicating that the HSE was considering reopening the hospital subject to the building being okay. That was the first time there was any question mark about …

That is a typical reply. It is waffle from the HSE. Why were we not told that in the email that I received last Sunday evening? The wonderful staff that were there have been deployed elsewhere because of Covid. They put their shoulders to the wheel in the belief that they would be sent back to St. Brigid's. The building might be old but it is in pristine condition, with a new wing added for the hospice some years ago. This building will still be standing when many of the prefabs and quick-build units the HSE is put…

Students in third level and their families need to pay for accommodation along with enormous fees . The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has given no instruction to the colleges to return. I ask the Government to consider some kind of support package for struggling families and students who have paid enormous accommodation costs as well as college fees. They are now being asked to pay for the next semester from January onwards. It is very unfair. Mol an óige agus tiocfaidh…

I thank the Minister of State for listening. I raised this issue on questions on promised legislation, and so have other colleagues throughout the House, to try to deal with credit unions. While this is a miscellaneous provisions Bill, it is important that we deal with the credit union aspect of it. Ar an gcéad dul síos, ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a dhéanamh le gach credit union fud na tíre. Every credit union in my county, from Nenagh to Carrick-on-Suir and in all the towns and various villages, must be saluted.…

I apologise for missing my slot earlier. I have not yet mastered the skill of bilocation. The traffic is very heavy so I ran the last part of the journey. I will be as fit as Ronnie Delany for the Olympics. I wish the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Butler, well in her portfolio. I know she will make genuine efforts to help with mental health in a caring way and will budget accordingly. I welcome the Central Mental Hospital's move from the site we have known to the new Portrane site. I know the Land Development Agen…