We will be supporting this motion to end the Central Bank of Ireland's facilitation of Israeli bonds. As a representative of the people of west Cork, which was profoundly impacted by the Great Famine, I have a personal connection to the suffering of the Gazans today. I repeat myself when I say we are here to protect life and dignity without taking sides. Ireland is trusted because we do not serve geopolitical interests. Starvation as a weapon is a breach of international law. The deliberate denial of food and aid i…

I support the motion for Ireland to become an associate member of CERN, the European organisation for nuclear research. I do so on behalf of Independent Ireland with a clear sense of what this should mean for the Irish people. Let me be straight. My party is no cheerleader for big, wasteful public spending or for projects that line the pockets of consultants while ordinary people get no benefits. Neither are we in the business of signing up to European groupthink or handing away our neutrality, which we value dearl…

About two weeks ago, the Government announced plans to buy Citywest hotel. That is a huge concern to the constituents in the surrounding area. A debate has to happen in the House. Before the purchase of any hotel, a debate should happen in the House, regardless of what it is needed for. This is a huge issue and concern for the public.

On Sunday, in Kinsale, hundreds of people turned up in opposition to the granting of a 62-acre mussel farm licence, equivalent to 36 soccer pitches, off Kinsale Harbour. This was first proposed in 2019, when I raised concerns with the then Taoiseach and the relevant Minister. The new licence granted leaves many unanswered questions on the planning process for this specific licence. First, there was no transparency with regard to the licence awarded. Second, there was no public consultation for local concerns to be …

This Government has been saying - as did the previous one and the previous two before that - that housing is its number one priority. If so, I cannot understand why it did not take up Independent Ireland's strong advice and policy that this should be declared a housing emergency. This is an emergency. A recent poll in the Irish Independent found 65% or 67% of people said housing is the biggest issue to be dealt with in this country, but it has not been dealt with. The declaration of a housing emergency would have d…

That is another thing that is coming down the road. People are calling me now. I want to see the legislation.

Is it there today?

This is the problem. Everything is about kicking the can down the road.

I would appreciate it if something were announced today and dealt with in a week or two rather than dragging on down the road. That legislation could have been put in place. We were advising it should be introduced years ago but nobody would listen to us. We must consider the building of houses in cities. We are building out but what about building up? When I am in Dublin and places such as that, I meet people who say they are well able to do that but are being blocked from going forward. The turnover of council ho…

I may not have welcomed the Minister of State to his position yet; we certainly have not spoken one to one yet. I wish him the best of luck. It is a serious area in which he was previously actively involved. A lot of issues were improved but many are left to improve. Unfortunately, I have a public meeting for Independent Ireland to attend so I will have to leave straight away. I will listen to his response on the way down. The problem is rivers are not being cleaned out. I do not think anybody said that. Perhaps th…

Ireland's voice is neutral, trusted and morally urgent. Our neutrality is not passive; it is active, credible and principled. We are here to protect life and dignity without taking sides. Ireland is trusted because we do not serve geopolitical interests. Starvation as a weapon is a breach of international law. Deliberate denial of food and aid is collective punishment. It is a war crime we know from our history during the Great Famine and from the oppression visited on us, the Irish, by others. There is a devastati…

The Protection of Employees (Employers' Insolvency) (Amendment) Bill 2025 is crucial legislation that aims to safeguard workers in the event their employer goes under. Independent Ireland firmly supports the principle that no worker should be left unpaid if a business ceases trading. The Bill addresses a significant gap in our law, highlighted by the 2018 Supreme Court ruling, and ensures that employees of small and medium enterprises, including sole traders, are protected. One of the key provisions of this Bill is…

We need a debate on the fishing industry. I welcome the new Minister for fisheries, who has hit the ground running from what I can see. I ask for a debate on issues such as Rockall, bluefin tuna and the extension of the black sole fishing quota season. These issues need to be discussed here urgently. Fishermen are pleading with us for that debate and I would appreciate it if the debate could take place this week.

People are being criticised for their views here in Dáil Éireann. We are fully entitled to put forward views different from those Deputy Coppinger has put forward. We will be opposing the Animal Health and Welfare (Ban on Fox Hunting) Bill. We need to get a few facts right here. Foxes are classified as a pest species. Whether we agree or disagree, that is the fact. There are 150,000 to 200,000 foxes at the moment and they cause serious concern to many farmers and have done so through the years. We need to have some…

I want to begin by welcoming the statement of apology delivered by the Minister for Justice in the Dáil. It is right and proper that the State formally acknowledge the multiple failings that contributed to the tragic and entirely avoidable death of Shane O'Farrell. This apology is a long overdue recognition of the pain, frustration and injustice suffered by Shane's family over the past 14 years. It represents a significant step in acknowledging the truth, namely, that the system failed Shane and failed his family. …

The people parents trust most in the world are the doctors and surgeons who are supposed to care for their children. This is one of the most atrocious breaches of trust that can be believed. Imagine that, without your knowledge, someone who is supposed to care for your child implanted a device inside them. That should never have been allowed to happen. Compounding that, we find out that operations that were not necessary have been carried out on young children. Independent Ireland has a simple plan: put patients fi…

The local improvement scheme, LIS, is very important for rural communities and rural roadways. At this time, the Minister might be able to explain the Department's proposals on how it intends to address the estimated 4,000 roads that remain outstanding under the scheme. I would appreciate if the Minister explained it to us.

I thank the Minister very much. This is a very important scheme. It is a great scheme for anyone who qualifies. The problem, as I have said, is that 4,000 applications remain outstanding and the people involved have not qualified. For all the funds that have gone into it, they are not half enough of what needs to go into it. I have spoken to Deputy Danny Healy-Rae on this issue several times. It is a big issue in his area. It is also a big issue in west Cork. The problem is that the moneys coming into west Cork are…

I appreciate that and thank the Minister. We desperately need that extra funding in some areas. The Minister said that County Cork receives the third highest amount of funding. He will be aware that Cork is the biggest county in Ireland, so we are way down the ladder if that is the case. I am not trying to be critical. The Minister is doing his best to get additional funding and we appreciate that, because there is a desperate need. People should not be waiting six or seven years. I filled in forms for a gentleman …

I appreciate the Minister of State saying the motion is not being opposed, but is the Government going to deliver? That is the question here, and it is a huge question. Since I came here in 2016, that has been the case - non-delivery of home care services. I thank John Campbell and Mark Nolan for helping us to put this motion together. This motion is about people. It is about the backbone of carers. They are forgotten families. There are rural communities being left behind. It is about fairness, and, right now, wha…