I appreciate the Ceann Comhairle allowing me to contribute this time because my colleagues needed the other time. They had a lot to say on this issue, being from rural Ireland, as we all are in the Rural Independent Group. I am the same. I do not have any personal animosity towards the Minister of State, or the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, whose grandmother - a sheanmháthair - agus a sheanathair, an bheirt acu ó Tiobraid Árann Theas, his seanathair as Caravansary, a wonderful public house in The Glen of Aherlow, an…

Yes, but if there is no water there will be no gas.

If you are fracking gas, you need to have water to keep things cool. It is all part of the construct that was set up and the separation of duties. I will go back to the gas but I am just saying that we have three reservoirs. There is one in Carrick-on-Suir on the Lingaun river, another in the Ardfinnan regional water scheme and a third in the Galtee region water scheme. They are massive plants. The one in Ardfinnan is relatively new, as is the one on the Lingaun, while the Galtee one is maybe 30 years old. They can…

I thank you for your forbearance.

I propose the adjournment.

I refer to the people outside the gate today, a lovely peaceful protest by workers in small childcare facilities, mainly from rural areas, along with parents and some páistí as well. Earlier the Taoiseach gave a very glib answer, saying that there was only a small crowd of them there. They are very passionate about what they do and they are being treated terribly. The core model of one size fits all is not working, as I said to the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, last week. They are on the first day of a three-day strik…

There are delays across the public service and indeed the private service, including in the National Driver Licence Service, NDLS. If a young or other person in Clonmel applies today for a driving test, it will be nearly the end of February before he or she will be allowed to go on the portal to apply again. There is a waiting list of up to nine months for people to do a driving test in Clonmel. These are young people who want to go to employment or college. Their parents are driving them and trying to accompany th…

I would like to thank everybody who works in the HSE. Great work is done in many hospitals, including by front-line nurses, doctors, surgeons, secretaries and everybody else. However, there are huge issues around the whole running of the HSE and the Department of Health. I also want to sympathise with the Carter family and the other 17 families involved here. It is truly horrific by any standards. It is a horror story. One would imagine that one was in a Third World country. When I came here first in 2007, I think …

Yes.

Can I make a brief point of clarification, please, a Cheann Comhairle, le do thoil?

That was a state of the nation address but I will be brief. The Minister, Deputy McGrath, referred to us in the Rural Independent Group when calling a stand-up vote. There was an amendment to these increases back in early July. We pushed it to a vote and we did stand and there was nobody inside of the House to stand with us. There were five of us. Perhaps an Teachta Doherty will explain why his party is here now playing these games. The last thing the public out there want is shenanigans, brinksmanship and marksman…

I told the Ceann Comhairle that I would only be a minute and I appreciate that, but the Deputy's party did not stand up to vote to stop this increase where it should have been stopped, and not now where they are trying to close the door when it is gone.

I have spoken out about decarbonisation. Why did you not vote with us then and now you want to get our backing for it? The public can see what is going on.

A Cheann Comhairle-----

May I make a point of clarification?

I came in here 22 minutes before I was to speak and two groups before us had not spoken. That is what happened.

The Deputy cannot have it both ways. He cannot have his cake and eat it.

Will it be smokeless coal in the fire?

Ar an gcéad dul síos, gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle, leis an Rialtas agus le gach éinne eile as an gcabhair a thug siad do dhaoine Chluain Meala cúpla seachtain ó shin when we had a very tragic time in Clonmel. I thank the whole community, the Clonmel school community, An Garda Síochána, all the agencies and all the people in the community and from around the country who rode in in the sense of the meitheal and supported those families. It was really deeply appreciated in the midst of our grief. Clonmel…

I should have thanked the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this Topical Issue tonight. Uisce Éireann is not hands-on. It does not understand the pipe network or the reservoirs. It has a plan to stop taking water from the water treatment plant in Poulavanogue. It has laid a pipe 3 km up the road to pump water back up there. What it is doing is bizarre. It does not want to know and it will not listen. We have a reservoir up in the Ragwell. That is empty but should be used. Businesses did buy into the business network an…