I have been asking these questions for the past three weeks and I have not got any answers. The Minister promised me two weeks ago he would furnish me with answers. People over 65 who have a family history of clotting are worried about taking the AstraZeneca vaccine. Some tell me they are so worried they cannot even sleep. They are worried because the Tánaiste said that anyone who refused the vaccine would be put at the bottom of the pile. These are people who have genuine concerns. I also mentioned Parkinson's dis…

There are people all over west Cork trying to get theory tests and driving tests. The whole system seems to be blocked up and flawed. One lady told me she had her 12 lessons done but the system would not allow her to register them, which meant she could not book her test. This is mainly about young people's lives. Priority must be given to getting a more efficient system going. We blame Covid for all the wrongs but this has been a problem well before Covid. The test booking system is a shambles. In one example, two…

I have spoken to driving instructors in west Cork. They feel they were disowned in this crisis. The responses given by the RSA to instructors were either non-existent or were childish during this pandemic. The RSA takes a fee of €250 per instructor every two years for registration. It never answers regarding what that money is spent on. It is definitely not spent on correspondence fees. The RSA has what it describes as an ADI stakeholder forum. The representative is not even known to my local instructors. The Minis…

I am here today to speak about the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill. I will be very clear with the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, that if the amendments we will table are not accepted - that would work in rural Ireland - I will not support the Bill as it currently stands. It is an attack on the people of rural Ireland and agriculture. I am shocked by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Deputies. I know they bought into power, but it should not come at a price to the people who put them ther…

-----and a few nod-and-wink Independents. That is what they are. They will come in here and give out about it, but they will vote for it at the end of the day. There is a need for emergency funding for toilet facilities on beaches in west Cork. Local authorities say they cannot afford to put bins on the side of the street. The country will be covered in litter. There is no money. Where is the money going to come from for that or for public transport? Does the Minister of State expect someone like me to support the …

I have two and a half minutes to speak and I will use one minute for questions and the Minister of State might use the remaining time to reply, please. I asked the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, this question last week and he promised to come back to me but never did and perhaps the Minister of State may have the answer. If a person is over 60 years of age and is offered the AstraZeneca vaccine and the person’s family has a history of clotting - so many people in the Minister of State’s constituency as well as my own a…

The proposals contained in the motion were published in December 2020. They could vastly increase the powers of the EU policing agency, Europol. They would grant Europol new data processing powers, a role in developing algorithms for the police and a mechanism to facilitate co-operation with non-EU states. The policy states: "In specific cases where Europol considers that a criminal investigation should be initiated into a crime falling within the scope of its objectives, it shall request the competent authorities …

The Government appears to be pushing this motion through in a rushed matter and is only allocating 45 minutes for debate, five minutes for each group, which is a scandal. I note that no Member from Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael is speaking on this today. They have spent the last six months turning their backs on the larger fishermen; now it is the inshore fishermen they are turning their backs on. The opening line in the National Marine Planning Framework Baseline Report states: As an island nation with sovereign rights…

Parents of children with a dual diagnosis of autism and intellectual disabilities do not feel represented by Inclusion Ireland at talks and when strategies are being implemented. They feel under-represented because the parties do not understand or cater for both autism and intellectual disabilities. Instead, each supports one or the other. The challenges faced by those with a dual diagnosis have not been highlighted enough. The consequences leave vulnerable families unheard and left to manage solo, which has a sign…

I am in full agreement with this Bill. Our students and younger generation have suffered greatly during Covid-19. The pandemic has exposed the severe economic injustice students face in the rental market. Thousands of students and their families have been forced to pay for accommodation they were prohibited from using. It is no longer acceptable for the Government to act as a spectator while wholesale financial exploitation of students continues. The speedy and successful passing of legislation is vital to ensure s…

The fact that it appears we will have very little time to discuss the marine planning framework is another attack on the inshore fishermen of west Cork and the rest of the country. It is only right that we get time to debate these issues in a proper manner. I cannot understand why the Taoiseach does not want proper scrutiny in the Dáil. I know the Taoiseach has been attacking the fishermen personally. As soon as he was the temporary Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, he proceeded with the penalty points…

I propose to share time with Deputy Mattie McGrath. This is a technical Bill, the purpose of which is to amend existing legislation to allow the transfer of functions relating to heritage under a number of enactments to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. These powers and functions come under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, the Wildlife Act 1976, the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 and the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011. My expectation is tha…

I am glad to get the opportunity to speak on the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2021. In a recent case, the Supreme Court found that while the Oireachtas can impose mandatory penalties for offences, it can only do so where those penalties apply to all persons equally. Specifically, the Oireachtas cannot create a mandatory penalty, which only applies to a particular class of persons, such as a person who has previously committed a particular offence. The Court held that under Article 34 of the Constitution, such …

Will a five-year commitment be given to businesses in the tourism sector? Are measures such as a 9% rate of VAT, insurance reform, grants and other measures being introduced to ensure the recovery of the sector in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly in areas such as west Cork? I met the Minister some time ago when she was on holidays down in Ballydehob, so she knows the beauty of west Cork. Hotels are under massive pressure such as the Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery, West Lodge Hotel in Bantry, West C…

Hotels and tourism businesses flagged that tourism is one of the major employers in rural regions such as west Cork. It has been one of the sectors hardest hit during the pandemic. Many businesses are making decisions about whether they can survive, and if they can, they are cutting back on services and operating hours. We need a commitment for a minimum of five years to make these SMEs, restaurants, tourism attractions, pubs and shops feel that it is worth trading for the hours that will ensure visitors have thing…

After many good years of Fáilte Ireland supporting regionality and seasonality, the winters will now see businesses going back to shutting up shop to preserve money. Hospitality will have nothing to entertain and attract guests off-season and people will be out of work again for the four to five autumn and winter months. Employees in the sector must also be supported and incentivised to stay in this wonderful business. Currently, many of these employees are laid off and-or are on reduced hours. They face prejudice …

Direct provision in Ireland represents a human rights failure and a gravy train for accommodation providers. Costs associated with the direct provision system rose significantly in the past two years with the Covid-19 pandemic leading to extra accommodation needs, according to figures from data compiled and published by the Irish Examiner several weeks ago. It shows, for example, that accommodation providers have earned over €1.6 billion in direct provision accommodation contracts since 1999. To put that enormous f…

In the past week, €70 million in rural regeneration funding has been announced. Rural regeneration funds are a lifeline for rural communities throughout our country. I fully congratulate any town or village that has been successful in getting funds. The Tánaiste launched this scheme in 2018. Can he explain why, in 2019, 2020 and 2021, when both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have headed the Government, Cork South-West got zero funds, even though it had shovel-ready projects? One is the Schull Harbour development project…

To clarify a question Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked about when vaccination centres are opening in west Cork, I thankfully have the answer, for once in my life. My brother is a councillor and member of the south-west regional health forum. He tells me that the Clonakilty centre will be open on 3 May, which is important for the Clonakilty, Bandon and the Skibbereen area. The Bantry primary care centre will be open on 28 April. That is a bit of clarity. The Tánaiste said that anyone who refuses the AstraZeneca v…

Thousands of Irish people living in the United Arab Emirates got the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine at the first opportunity in February with the hopes of being able to travel back to Ireland this summer. They are now unable to get any other vaccine. On Sunday, the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, tweeted that people who are vaccinated will be exempt from the hotel quarantine. He listed Pfizer, Moderna, Astra-Zeneca and Janssen, with no mention of the Sinopharm vaccine. More than 70% of people in the United Arab Emirates are…