-----so I would appreciate action on this.

The emerging news that Argos is to close its stores across the State is an incredible blow to the more than 400 workers, their families and communities, and the retail sector in Ireland. Will the Tánaiste or relevant Minister use the 30-day consultation period to meet representatives of Mandate Trade Union and Argos to determine whether there is any prospect of saving the jobs and stores? Failing that, could he ensure the company will engage with Mandate so the best redundancy deal possible can be achieved for the …

I attended an online meeting with the Minister for Health and the Taoiseach together with other public representatives of the mid-west. Obviously, the issue there was University Hospital Limerick, UHL, which is what I will focus my time on, where we are at and how we get out of the mess we are in, which was created by a previous Fianna Fáil Government. I will quote my colleague who was our health spokesperson at the time, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, when he spoke in the debate in the Chamber on a motion tabled, believe i…

Friday.

We are here on Saturday anyway.

I was interested to hear the Minister’s comments on Waterford hospital. I wish everybody who uses that hospital all the best. The Minister praised the management team there. I wish I could say the same for my hospital, University Hospital Limerick. I have been talking about it probably on a weekly basis since I was elected in 2016 with different health Ministers through Topical Issues, priority questions, Questions on Promised Legislation, committees or anywhere I could raise the issue. One figure I want to give th…

As a State, we have become very reliant on foreign direct investment. We have done an excellent job in attracting these companies of the last decades. Their taxation contributes dramatically to our finances, which is welcome. Enterprise Ireland also does great work in promoting Ireland's businesses and exports. In 2021, Enterprise Ireland-backed companies employed more than 200,000 people, and contributed billions of euro in exports and billions of euro to the economy as well. This is tremendous work but there is s…

There is no doubt that the 31 LEOs have done good work to date. In 2021, for instance, they contributed to the creation of 7,400 new jobs. They have supported small businesses through the provision of grants and assisted entrepreneurs in starting businesses. However, we have an opportunity to build on their knowledge and the knowledge of others to create an even more ambitious State body that is focused solely on indigenous business. An Irish enterprise agency could support established retailers on our main streets…

I agree with an awful lot of what the Minister of State said, but we need to establish an Irish enterprise agency for a number of reasons. The Minister of State will agree that our over-reliance on a number of major international corporations is a risk to the State going forward, with ten companies paying a significant proportion of corporation tax. Any changes to this, which would be well out of our control, could put grave stress on our public finances. While it is imperative that we continue to attract foreign d…

I welcome the fact that the Government was forced into a U-turn on the proposed introduction of the charges. The charges have been deferred for six months but should be scrapped completely as there is no justification for them. The cost-of-living crisis is still with us and will be with us in June 2023. People from all walks of life are feeling the pinch. If it is not a case of extortionately high rents and food costs, it is a case of high electricity and gas costs, an increase in petrol prices and a battle against…

The Minister must think we are suffering from collective amnesia, to think that he, as a Fianna Fáil Minister, can tell us that he will change planning laws and that we have to agree to it without seeing the legislation. He must think we are crazy. We know where the country was left when Fianna Fáil had unfettered control. We know tens of thousands of people emigrated when Fianna Fáil collapsed the economy with its friends, the builders and developers. When the Minister publishes his legislation and we see it, we w…

Before I begin, I acknowledge the passing earlier this week of Vicky Phelan. Although she was born in Kilkenny, Vicky was a Limerick woman and a tremendous advocate for women's health. Her honourable request was that action be taken immediately on cervical checks. We are all obliged to do so as parliamentarians. Last month, University Hospital Limerick asked members of the public not to attend the emergency department unless absolutely necessary. Nobody would attend the emergency department in Limerick unless it wa…

I thank the Minister of State. The reality is there has been a catastrophic failure of the hospital. The situation cannot continue in the current manner. Yesterday I spoke to a woman whose husband is in UHL. After days in the emergency department, ED, he was sent to the ward. The sheets on the bed he was given were filthy. His young son who visited him later left the room because he could not stand the smell. This is simply outrageous. We deserve much better than this. Under the current management, crisis has becom…

I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak on Science Week. It is a fantastic week that showcases the potential and capacity of our citizens and an event I wholeheartedly support. It has been running since 1995 and each year the event gets better. Hopefully, 2022 will be much better as well. Science Week showcases the talent in our third-level facilities and among our school-going children. As the organisers say, it looks to showcase the "infinite possibilities" of science. I would add that it also showcases t…

On 24 February, the Russian Federation invaded its neighbour, Ukraine, and unleashed its military forces on it. The first and main victims of the invasion were and are the people of Ukraine. The lives of civilians have been upended, with many fleeing their homes and homeland. Others, who could never have imagined doing so, have joined the military to defend their homeland. A huge number of Ukrainians have fled their homes and many have landed in Ireland in the intervening eight months. I want to put on the record t…

There is.

In Limerick, I drive a car, cycle my bike, walk to work and take local buses where I can, and I mostly take a train when I come to Dublin. The train to Dublin, which I have been taking for seven years, is almost always on time. Unfortunately, the buses in Limerick are a different story. Public transport needs to be safe, reliable and affordable. If it cannot meet these three crucial criteria, people will not leave their cars at home and avail of public transport. It is as simple as that. Without a significant decre…

My office has been contacted about this issue more frequently in recent months. I put on record my thanks and those of the staff who work at my constituency office in Limerick to the staff in the regional office of the Department of Social Protection, who do tremendous work, including especially earlier in the pandemic, and that has been, and is, very much appreciated. I have been contacted by many Limerick residents who have applied for urgent payments such as the additional needs payment but who have not received…

In her response the Minister of State said that where it is obvious a person has an immediate need, every effort is made to ensure he or she receives a payment on the day. That used to be the case but the reason I am raising this issue is that it is not the case anymore, unfortunately. It is fine for us to stand here and discuss figures and percentages, but the reality is that the people who are most in need are not receiving payments from the Department in a timely manner. That is the problem I am trying to raise.…

As I have raised with the Taoiseach on many occasions, University Hospital Limerick, UHL, has almost the highest number of patients on trolleys every day. The high number per day in the emergency department, ED, means that it is in a perpetual state of crisis requiring continued cancellation of elective procedures. The number of people treated on trolleys so far this year is 14,370 people, which already exceeds the significant total in 2021, and did so by the end of August. The recently published Deloitte report co…