The Government will be out of power then and it will be over to someone else to mind all the cash. I commend this motion. It is a pity the Government has not got the guts to oppose it and would rather have it gathering dust on some shelf. That cannot happen.

What about the European Commission?

The waiting time for driving tests in Clonmel, County Tipperary, is approximately 29 weeks. In Tipperary town, the waiting time is 13 weeks. Candidates who have failed a driving test automatically receive an email invitation to book another driving test once they have waited the required amount of time, or must resit the theory test, which can mean a wait of a further eight to ten weeks. The Road Safety Authority, RSA, does not operate a situation whereby candidates can avail of cancelled appointments. The waiting …

I compliment the Acting Chair, the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and all the ladies who are Members of the House and elsewhere with whom I am friendly. I wish my wife Margaret and my five daughters, six granddaughters, three wonderful sisters, daughters-in-law and sisters in law all the very best on this very important day. I also wish the best to my office team. I could not manage without them. They are mainly females as well. I refer to Geraldine, Tríona, Cathy, who is out on maternity leave, Vivienne, Joanne, Mairéad, C…

We in the Rural Independent Group have a problem with the allocation of six hours this week for debate on Second Stage and Remaining Stages of the Environmental Protection Agency (Emergency Electricity Generation) (Amendment) Bill 2023. There will also be a guillotine at the end of debate. It beggars belief that this kind of emergency legislation has to be rushed. Only a little over six hours has been allocated for debate and a guillotine has been included. The Government has had plenty of notice because we have be…

The programme last night was a huge exposé of how people can call themselves psychologists and practice in the private sector. Barry O'Kelly could interview mothers of children with special needs because they are not bound by the in camera rule unlike mothers whose children are taken into State care by Tusla who are victims of these charlatans operating in the family law courts. We saw how many quack psychologists act as expert witnesses in the family law courts. In 2014, one of them made a report on a family law c…

I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. It is nice to get an insight into his Department and the number of senior officials who give him advice and help formulate policy, but I have some issues around the economic decisions of our country that have impacted on us so badly since the bank guarantee and the bailout. I have issues with the way we deal politically with the banks and the hands-off approach we take. My group has a motion tomorrow on cash and the need for it to continue to be available to people. I wonder at …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Taoiseach as ucht an cheist seo a fhreagairt. I welcome the measures the Taoiseach announced today regarding housing, especially those relating to empowering local authorities to buy more houses. In the context of this ceist agus an fhreagra, we just cannot keep pace. I thank an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Joe O'Brien, who met me recently and went through some issues that were outstanding. There are many issues in the public domain. People have real issues of concern about how we are going to ha…

Seo í seachtain na Gaeilge. Déanfaimid ár ndícheall chun an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn. This is a Government-Rialtas of the three-card trick, as I call it: Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party. We are now talking about emergency energy generation. Here we are, about 18 months since we in our group said this was a crisis, a crisis was upon us and was going to come. Then the war arrived, that heinous war the Government has blamed everything on. Thankfully, the wholesale price is now lower than before the war. Th…

I, too, support the motion tabled. The people I represent and those I meet outside my constituency are perplexed by what is going on. They see the price gouging and they see their bills. They saw how the Government imposed a carbon tax on top of what it already had in place at a time when there were high energy costs. What is going on? The Government had to be dragged kicking and screaming to decouple wind energy, which is much cleaner, safer and cheaper than other sources of energy. Has the Government implemented …

He can stay there beside the flag.

On behalf of the Rural Independent Group I want to thank gach éinne a raibh ag obair go crua inné agus a rinne sárobair san ospidéal i Loch Garman. We support the ongoing efforts there, which included Irish Red Cross units and the likes of Kenneth O'Connell and others from as far away as Tipperary town. That is the spirit of the meitheal that we like to see and hopefully all will end well. Often times when we discuss the disaster of housing policy in Ireland, we focus on the plight of the homeless, first-time buyer…

I agree that the grants have been good and widely availed of but times have surpassed them. Due to increased energy, material and labour costs, people cannot get the work done within the schemes. The eligibility is also too low in the first instance - it has not moved on in 13 years, as I said. Ireland is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which places a serious onus on its signatories to fully recognise equal rights for all persons with disabilities to live in the communit…

I ask the Government to set up a task force to do something about the dereliction in Clonmel town and the closure of many businesses, particularly Market Place, a spanking new development that was a division of iar-Sheandóir Fergal Quinn, God rest him, and a fabulous place. It is now vacant and derelict, and it is an appalling vista. There are many other areas on Gladstone Street and O'Connell Street. We need a task force with the district council and Clonmel Chamber of Commerce. I salute the hard-working businessp…

In Clonmel town – the vale of honey.

Yes, that is what I said.

I am talking about the centre of town.

I said that.

I compliment the Regional Group on bringing forward this motion on pre-emergency care, which is a critical component of the healthcare system in Ireland. It plays a vital role in the management of emergencies and saving lives, which is the most important thing for any of us in this House or anywhere else. The motion refers to emergency medical services provided to patients outside of hospital settings, usually in the event of an accident or sudden illness. There are wonderful groups of people out there and paramedi…

The Taoiseach has so much money he cannot handle it.