How have other countries done it?

Hungary has.

I am delighted with the Minister's appointment. I wish him well in his portfolio and look forward to working with him. Tús maith leath na hoibre. He has rejected these amendments. Deputy Naughten's amendments are very wisely thought out. He understands this area because he was in the Minister's seat. I thank him for all of the engagement he had with us when he was in office. I hope all Ministers will engage with the different groupings and all Deputies in Dáil because we are elected to this House for a good reason,…

Some Green Party members are involved.

As Deputy Naughten said, the fund of €500 million over ten years is wholly inadequate. I am involved in a Tidy Towns committee. Most of us are involved in committees like that which do wonderful work. Different schemes are advertised by the county councils about renewables, water pumps and using innovative ideas. In one case at the moment, we have a tunnel. We had it up well before the Minister made his speech about window boxes on south-facing windows. We have an irrigation application in for some grant aid but th…

We have been doing that.

Glaoim anois ar Pháirtí an Lucht Oibre. An bhfuil aon duine anseo ón bpáirtí sin? No. We will move on to the Social Democrats. I call Deputy Gannon.

I am sharing time with Deputy Michael Collins, Deputy Carol Nolan and Deputy Michael Healy-Rae. Ar an gcéad dul síos ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leis an Aire, an Teachta Foley, agus leis an Aire, an Teachta Harris, freisin. I wish to compliment, and say how delighted I am to see, the Minister, Deputy Foley, in her new role. I am also pleased to see the Minister without portfolio, Deputy Harris, in a new role and out of where he was. I know he left the children's hospital in a black hole so I hope we wil…

Ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a ghuí ar na hAirí ar son an Rural Independent Group. I compliment Deputy Calleary on his forthcoming appointment as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and wish him well. I also congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, and the incoming Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, on their new positions. In his time as Chief Whip, Deputy Calleary has worked exceptionally well with the Whips of the different parties and groups. There is a huge legislative programme to get th…

I will be writing to the Ceann Comhairle about this. When I consulted her to find out what her issue was, she told me I was a slíbhín.

Imagine that. It might not be on the record but the journalists heard her say it. I will take no lessons on slíbhínism from a party with such a murky past and which is still involved with that past. It is a party that is denying that it did not want to be in government and now its leader wants to be total leader of the Opposition. None of us in the Rural Independent Group, the Regional Group or the Social Democrats has any voice. That is the diktat of the unelected leader of Sinn Féin. I do not know of any democrac…

I ask to be allowed to speak and Deputy McDonald will have time to reply. The journalists in the Gallery heard what she said and my colleague, Deputy Michael Collins, heard it. If that is the new politics we have heard about, my goodness we are in trouble. Will threats and kneecappings be next? We lost three good Sinn Féin councillors in Tipperary when they were bullied out of their party. I take no bullying from Deputy McDonald or anybody else.

I wish Deputy Cowen and his family all the best at this tough time for them. We in the Rural Independent Group will speak without fear or favour on issues affecting rural Ireland and the people we represent. We will not be downtrodden or bullied by Sinn Féin or anybody else. This is the party that did not want to go into government, but it wants to have seats in the front row of the Dáil and all the Opposition speaking time, and it wants to limit all the roles for smaller groups. The new politics that Sinn Féin wan…

Given the extremely disturbing nature of the commentary of the activist Peter Tatchell presenting sex education with children in a positive light, will the Taoiseach confirm that Mr. Tatchell or his organisation, the Peter Tatchell Foundation, and the other organisations with which he is associated, did not have any engagement with the Department of Education and Skills and will not have any engagement but, more importantly, did not have any engagement with the Minister with responsibility for children and the poli…

That is not what I said.

At what age-----

I am sharing with four of my colleagues, le dhá nóiméad an duine. I am glad the Taoiseach has had his first meeting, but it is time we asserted ourselves in Europe. We must insist we get the loans, bonds and supports that will assist all the different communities throughout the country, and the SMEs especially. I do not often agree with the Deputies on the left, but I agree that the big corporations and conglomerates are fine. They are all right, Jack. It is the ordinary people, such as small businesses, pubs, unde…

On section 2.

There will be no rants in the Chair today. Do not worry.

We understand that. That is no problem.