There is something seriously wrong here. I am not blaming the doctors, but we need extra.

I welcome the debate on the Bill but I do not welcome the reactionary nature of what the Government is doing. It is the hallmark of the Government now that it reacts to everything. Ar an gcéad dul síos, I sympathise with each and every family affected by road fatalities, none more so than those that occurred last summer in Clonmel, Tiobraid Árann, when four young people went out to celebrate after getting their leaving certificate results, or, indeed, the terrible tragedy a few days later in Cashel involving two gr…

It is a Fianna Fáil Bill so.

It is Fianna Fáil.

Tá ceist agam don Aire agus don Aire Stáit. I have a question for the Minister and Minister of State: who are you loyal to?

I hope you do, but you do not understand the people and the anger out there about this mess, which affects 13,000 people who were brought to court to be prosecuted for not paying the licence fee. The content on RTÉ has deteriorated rapidly in the last ten years. I have been saying this at committees and to the Ministers who were in this position before. I support all of the staff, from the man in the cabin who we meet going in the gate, to the make-up artists, the researchers and all of those good people and ordina…

The people in north Tipperary, Clare and Limerick are incensed at what is going on in University Hospital Limerick, UHL. The hospital was promised 630 beds for a population of 350,000. The Minister mentioned figures to Deputy Doherty, which are untrue. The reality is that 150 people were on trolleys yesterday and not just in the accident and emergency department. They are all over the hospital as well. It is just bedlam and it is not fair or right. Three small accident and emergency departments were closed down dur…

I rise on behalf of the Rural Independent Group to express our deepest sympathy to iar-Thaoiseach and iar-Theachta Dála John Bruton. It was with a great sense of sadness that I learned of the passing of John Bruton yesterday morning. I take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt condolences and prayers to his wife Finola, son Matthew, daughters Juliana, Emily and Mary-Elizabeth, brother Richard, who is a serving Member and who is with us today, and sister Mary. Richard's bean chéile is a Clonmel woman, Ms Meehan, …

You did say that. That was your import. You did.

That was the import.

European farmers are expressing their anger and outrage at the way farming has been treated across Europe. Thankfully, our Irish farmers are taking to the streets this evening at 6 p.m. in Cahir in my area with regard to the blackguarding they are getting with regulation and bureaucracy and the demonising in this House and elsewhere of good farming practices. If we have no farmers there will be no food. This is the reality we will have. They are being blackguarded. The Department of agriculture is disgracefully tre…

Why will it not pay the farmers?

You are so out of touch.

I welcome our colleagues from BIPA, as a member of BIPA. It's a long way to Tipperary. I spoke to the Minister the other evening and he told me he was progressing the bypass for Tipperary town and would love to come. I ask him on the floor of the Dáil to tar suas go dtí Tiobraid Árainn, come to Tipperary and meet the different groups there to get a better understanding of how the town is choked and business and ordinary living are difficult with trucks going through the town constantly. I appeal to him to come down…

What about south Tipperary?

The Select Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment has completed its consideration of the following Revised Estimate for Public Services for the service of the year ending on 31 December 2024: Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

I do not know how to follow that tour of the Ring of Kerry and the capital of hospitality in Killarney. Déanfaidh mé mo dhícheall. I was here for the Minister's speech. I welcome the legislation. I welcome the fact that research, innovation and science will be upgraded and amalgamated and that we will have a new, hopefully fit-for-purpose, dynamic, modern, outward-looking and all-encompassing agency that will stimulate and bring out the best in our young people. It will also have young people educated in many skill…

There is a serious situation regarding the diminishing Garda numbers all over this country, while the Minister says they are increasing. The town of Carrick-on-Suir has only four gardaí when it used to have 18. Roscrea used to have 27 gardaí - we know the problems they have there now - and now only has seven. It is the same in Cahir and Clonmel in my constituency and all over the country. I regularly meet gardaí who are up here from other areas helping to police the city and leaving the people at home. When are we …

An Post made the bombshell announcement last Thursday evening at 4 o'clock that it was downgrading the office in Davis Street in Tipperary town. Some six staff and one manager have been employed in that location since the 1980s. Tipperary had a lot of hammer blows last week with a number of restaurants closing. On one hand the task force does great work and yet Government State agencies do this. An Post said it will advertise to get a private contractor or perhaps co-locate in a shop but we have no idea where, or w…

Timber is getting scarce.