First, why is there no one from the Department with responsibility for the environment present? We were recently told by the Ceann Comhairle that if somebody from the Department or a Minister of State could not attend that, we would be advised of same. That has not happened. It is no disrespect to the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman. I will proceed but it is totally disrespectful. It has happened to me on a number of occasions now. I have been in touch with the Ceann Comhairle, not on this issue but with regard to Topica…

The recent KPMG report, Act Now, makes for some very concerning reading when it comes to the likelihood of achieving our 2030 climate action targets for wind energy and solar energy. The plan commits to having 80% of our electricity harnessed from wind and solar energy sources. I thank Wind Energy Ireland for commissioning this really important and timely report that will inform the debate in this area. It outlines the hurdles the State faces in achieving its desirable renewable energy targets. The report notes tha…

I thank the Minister for his response. I have raised the concerns referred to in the Act Now report previously. Renewable energy has the potential to be a vital new source of revenue and energy for our market. The development of the sector is our chance to eventually become energy independent. We can either harness renewable energy and export any excess we do not need or we can import energy from abroad. That is the choice we have to make. We need a further commitment to delivering the changes needed to improve our…

The report of the Residential Tenancies Board shows the annual increase in rents since the RTB started keeping records in 2007. With this Government in power, records get broken regularly but none of them are positive. If it is not the highest number of people in emergency accommodation, it is the highest number of homeless children, the highest number of people being treated on trolleys in hospitals, especially my local hospital, University Hospital Limerick, or the highest rent increase ever recorded by the RTB. …

Renewable energy has the potential to be a vital new source of revenue and energy for our market. Its development is our chance to become energy independent eventually. We can harness energy and export the excess energy that Ireland will not need, or we can import it from abroad. This is the choice the country has to make. As an island we are extremely fortunate to have an abundance of natural resources, including our coastal waters. One of the most exciting possibilities with regard to harnessing offshore wind ene…

Thursday was a very dark day for Ireland. It was one of the saddest days I have ever witnessed. As I stand here tonight, my thoughts are with the innocent people who have been injured and it is my deepest hope that they all fully recover. A cloud has descended over Dublin. It is a cloud that we must all work together to lift. The tragedy of last Thursday began with a senseless and violent attack on children. The day ended with the collapse of law and order in our capital city. The challenge is one that everyone in …

We will have two minutes each. The neutrality of the Irish State has served us and the globe very well. Our neutrality is the most fundamental part of our foreign policy and a key aspect of that are the checks and triple-lock system imposed on our Defence Forces's ability to operate outside of the State. The Tánaiste is attempting to undo this. He is attempting to radically change our approach to foreign policy for the worse. In opposition, he stated that the triple lock was a necessity. Last week, however, stated …

Page 60 of the programme for Government refers to tackling homelessness and further states the priority of the Government is to reduce it while in government. That does not seem to be working in my city of Limerick. That ambition seems to have dropped down the list of Government priorities. If one walks through the streets of Limerick - the Taoiseach was there on Friday - one will see people sleeping out on the streets, bracing themselves against the harshness of winter weather. Homelessness services in Limerick, w…

The recruitment ban puts the lives of patients at risk. That is as simply as I can put it. The embargo on recruitment makes the job of our dedicated healthcare professionals more difficult and more stressful, as if working in the emergency department at University Hospital Limerick, UHL, was not stressful enough. The embargo on recruitment prolongs the wait time for those on waiting lists and ensures that the numbers being treated on hospital trolleys and in our hospital corridors continue to rise. This is an absol…

I raise the issue of University Hospital Limerick and the accident and emergency department there, which I have probably raised every week since I was elected in 2016. Last October saw a record number of 2,043 people on trolleys there and today there are 106 people on trolleys. In 2020 we had 18,012 people on trolleys and we have already surpassed that figure this year. It is a scandal. I remind Members that each of these people have been assessed and deemed in need of a hospital bed but there is no bed available f…

Three years into the Government's term, the housing crisis shows no sign of abating. In that time, homelessness figures have increased by 47%. There has also been an ever-increasing number of evictions. The cost of renting a house or apartment has increased, quarter by quarter, by 25% State-wide. Rents are increasing and record numbers of young people are still living at home with their parents. It is shocking. Every way you look at it, the housing crisis has gotten worse and worse. Failed plans and missed targets …

On Monday, 130 people were on trolleys in University Hospital Limerick, which was the highest number ever recorded. It was confirmed by the hospital on "Morning Ireland" that completion of the new 90-bed unit will be delayed for another year, from 2024 to 2025. Some 18,012 people were on trolleys in University Hospital Limerick in 2022. The figure will surpass 20,000 this year. The Minister for Health is clearly failing in Limerick. He has put up the white flag. The Government has abandoned the people who have to u…

The issue has been raised by me and by Government backbenchers.

I am meeting him again tomorrow.

The Tánaiste is being facetious. This is the most important project, as the Tánaiste is well aware.

I do not know the answer.

In the time available to me I would like to raise two issues that are particularly important to my constituency of Limerick, namely, the delays in completing the Coonagh to Knockalisheen road and the ongoing scourge of scrambler misuse in urban areas. The Coonagh to Knockalisheen road is a vital project and piece of infrastructure and, when completed, will service the community of Limerick’s north side, especially the Moyross area. Moyross is an area that, despite making incredible strides over the past 15 years, r…

On Monday, 130 people were on trolleys in UHL, which is a national scandal. We have had figures close to that before. We had 124 in May and 124 in September. Earlier I heard the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, talk about media reports. I was surprised he did not mention media reports in such a disastrous week for Limerick. I want to put on the record some media reports. A headline on the Live 95 FM website stated, "A record-breaking 130 patients are on trolleys at University Hospital Limerick." The Sunday World …

As we speak, 74 people are on trolleys in University Hospital Limerick, UHL. This is the lowest number there has been for the whole month of October. The average is 100 people a day on trolleys. It is an absolute disgrace. The budget gives no comfort that the issue will be addressed. In the round, the budget lacked ambition and neglected the core issues of health and housing. It was a budget focused on short-term one-off measures, and these highlights tried and failed to give the Government cover in its failings in…

I will start by welcoming the people in the Gallery, some of whom are from disability services and some of whom have disabilities themselves. I welcome the families who might be watching this at home or who are logging in tomorrow to watch it. I commend my colleague Deputy Tully who has been a real advocate for people with disabilities since she was appointed to the position of party spokesperson in the Dáil. Often when families get a diagnosis, it is stark and, unfortunately, it is often a battle a day for some fa…