I welcome the Ukrainian ambassador, Larysa Gerasko, and all the Ukrainian people here today. I wish to extend a very warm, special welcome and céad míle fáilte to Misha, the ten-year-old boy who is now a fluent Gaeilgeoir after a very short two years and who plays the bosca ceoil. I welcome his sister, Varvara, his mum Hanna and her partner from Ballyferriter in west Kerry, Dónal Ó Catháin. It is an absolutely tremendous story and it shows the way the Irish people and the Ukrainian people have interacted. It is a c…

This disruption is not just inconvenient, it is deeply damaging. These children and families have already endured the trauma of displacement, have finally started to rebuild their lives in safety and now they are being asked to uproot again----

----with no consideration for their emotional or mental well-being. This is both heartless and impractical. I urge the Government to reconsider this approach immediately. Decisions that affect people's lives, especially vulnerable children----

I am finishing. Ireland's response to the Ukrainian crisis in Ukraine has been admirable. However, we must continue to adapt, learn and approach the challenges with a spirit of solidarity and care for all. Let us not forget that behind every policy, every decision----

---- there are people, real lives, real families who deserve nothing less than our best efforts to treat them with dignity and respect. Thank you.

I, too, would like to be associated with the good wishes to the Minister. I wish her the very best going forward. I have no doubt her heart is in the right place. In County Kerry, we are fortunate to have so many opportunities to stay active and look after ourselves. Our beautiful surroundings, from the sea to the mountains, naturally encourage us to get outside, walk, swim and explore. More than just our environment, however, we are also seeing a real shift in how people here approach health and well-being. Over t…

The threat to, and cost of, the provision of safe drinking water affects every human being. We are reliant on the disposal of our wastewater, which is a major challenge to our local authorities. Are these to be dealt with as one as they are closely linked? By ensuring we have safe drinking water, can we also upgrade our wastewater facilities, including the provision of constructed wetlands to provide a solution for rural Ireland? The vast majority of our villages, for example in County Kerry, are unsewered. If the …

In University Hospital Kerry, we have great staff and a great manager whose interests are in her staff and especially in the patients who use the facilities there. However, we have a crisis in the accident and emergency department where patients are waiting 24, 36, 48 hours and longer. Many of these are elderly people. A 96 bed block is required in addition to the 39 beds which are already in train there. A new maternity unit is urgently required there due to the clinical risks to both mother and baby and due to th…

The Minister will be aware that there is an enormous need for carers to look after our senior citizens, children and disabled people in the home. Being subject to a means test is an obstacle to bringing carers into the system. Does the Minister agree that a means test in this situation serves no purpose and should be dispensed with as soon as possible? I am aware that doing so is included in the programme for Government. That is very welcome. Carers are an invaluable resource to the State and therefore need to be p…

I take this opportunity to thank the people of Kerry for electing me to the Thirty-fourth Dáil. I will endeavour to repay their trust in me by working hard and doing my best to deliver in the coming years. There is sheer chaos in the accident and emergency department in University Hospital Kerry. Staff there are run off their feet. Our senior citizens are left waiting on chairs for 24, 36, 48 hours and longer. I am aware of cases where senior citizens have actually fallen off chairs while waiting. We should all be …