It is not agreed.

They abolished the borough councils.

Tá siad ag gáire. I second the nomination of Deputy Michael Healy-Rae because I believe he is a man who listens to the people. In politics since he was ten years of age, he canvassed in by-elections. Bíonn sé ag éisteacht leis na daoine - listening to the people - which the Government parties have completely lost. We need to have a contest in this House. We cannot move around and have no elections. That is why we are doing this today. I wish Deputy Varadkar the best in his retirement and wish the Minister, Deputy H…

They are not.

I feel the same. I wrote a list of issues earlier last week. We are in the middle of a massive fodder and planting of crops crisis which could lead to a huge food shortage later on in the year. We are missing two weeks for Easter and a week for St. Patrick's Day. This business should have been done last week and now we are not sitting tomorrow until 2 p.m. People at home watching this at home will be aghast seeing the self-congratulatory carry-on over there and then the Dáil coming back tomorrow at 2 p.m. I totally…

You have your earphones on.

It is killed completely.

That is if you can get one.

His job is done.

Ar dtús, ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a dhéanamh leis an Taoiseach agus leis na hAirí nua. I wish them well. Like Deputy Nolan, I thank the Taoiseach for his work on SUSI, apprenticeships and other issues in his time as higher education Minister. I acknowledge that, in contrast with what I said this morning about his abysmal time in health. Recently, it has not only been Fine Gael that has been far too left for far too long. In my opinion all three Government parties and most of the Opposition occupy that left-wing…

It is beyond shocking that no time has been set aside this week to discuss the recent referendum results. I and the Rural Independent Group called for a full debate on the topic. However, it seems that the political establishment, which includes all Opposition parties apart from Aontú, wants to conveniently forget about the result. The reality is that the referendum results mark the largest "No" vote in referendum history, with figures of 73% in the referendum on care and 67% in the referendum on the family. The Go…

It is a fact. She did.

It is a fact; it is well known. The advice from the Attorney General and others was withheld. These questions must be discussed. For example, shocking files obtained from the Department of Finance under freedom of information suggest that the wording of the amendment on care was deliberately chosen by the Government to avoid a concrete and mandatory obligation on the State. Imagine that the Government would do that to the most vulnerable people and their carers and treat them in such a fashion, by trying to undermi…

The Tánaiste said the people have spoken. Of course we know that, but he still refuses to have a debate on the matter here. How can the Government and every party in this House be so detached and out of touch? They talked about durable. We hear a phony Opposition talk about different issues letting on to be different. Everyone is on the one page. We cannot have a debate on immigration because everyone is the same. Anybody with another narrative is put down. The Government got its answer from the people. They are wi…

I go back to the same issue, which is huge. The Tánaiste has mentioned the figure of 1,300 several times. There are huge concerns in my constituency about the lack of ASD school places. Parents contact me daily expressing huge concerns about the lack of a school place for their child in September. Some are applying to up to ten schools to see if they can get a place. Many are not getting one. Some intend to leave their five-year-old children in preschool for the year so that they will be in some sort of a school se…

In advance of Holy Week, we will take no lectures from the hard left and the looney left, who will not face the people. This is a shambles. I lay the blame at the Minister's door. His colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy O'Brien, has engaged with me on many occasions. It is ten weeks today since the hotel in Roscrea was taken over and the Garda was sent to terrorise the people of Roscrea. These are good decent people, ordinary mothers and fathers. They had no objection to children, they just wanted their hotel.…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing this Topical Issue. I am disappointed that the Minister for housing, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, is not present. I wish the Ceann Comhairle, the staff, the gardaí and everyone else a happy, holy and safe Cáisc, or Easter. It is very important that we reflect during the time of Holy Week and Easter Sunday on the risen Lord. I am raising the urgent need for an emergency ministerial order, a statutory instrument, pausing planning enforcement proceedings on log cabins where continui…

It is. A statutory instrument can be signed in his case. I know of at least 12 others in south Tipperary. Some have removed their lovely log cabins – they were forced to remove them by the local planning authority. This is ridiculous in a housing crisis where people want to house themselves and are able to house themselves in a sensitive way that is aesthetically pleasing and does not cause any blockage. I want this statutory amendment signed immediately. We have not had a review of the planning guidelines for 20 y…

I am very disappointed with that reply. The Minister of State mentioned that timber was not a problem. One of the two reasons the person I am referring to was twice refused planning permission by the county council had to do with the nature and aesthetics of the structure. That means the timber. Negotiations are ongoing and he has been told that if he plasters or renders it, he might get planning permission. That is baloney. We are approaching Easter Sunday - Domhnach Cásca - when we will celebrate our freedom figh…

Of course, but I am asking for a statutory-----