The latest figures from the Department show that 10,440 men, women and children were homeless in November, up 5% on the year before. More than a decade after Ireland experienced Europe's biggest property crash, the housing and property market remains in difficulty. The Central Bank of Ireland estimates that the State will need 34,000 new homes a year over the next decade to keep up with demand. Government policy on restricting planning permission for one-off rural housing due to the stringent measures in place with…

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on this topic. I would like to thank Deputy Pringle and his colleagues for bringing it forward. Many people's human rights and culture are being violated. Sometimes our own culture is being violated in this State and needs looking at. One thing for certain is that we must look into the issue of citizenship in respect of those who have come into this country, settled, lived happily and who have worked hard. There is a lack of urgency in the Department of Justice on the issu…

The directive and the Bill are aimed at stamping out crimes against the EU budget and specifically mention fraud that affects the financial interests of the Union. To be clear, this includes the misappropriation of funds that might be obtained under the EU budget but also fraud or wrongdoing concerning money from national budgets that could contribute to EU resources. In 2016, the EU's annual report on the fight against fraud found 1,410 instances of fraud involving €391 million. The regulatory impact analysis of t…

I am thankful the Minister is here because it is a very important issue for every constituent. The public has so many genuine questions about vaccines. When will people with cystic fibrosis get it? When will those over 70 and home carers get it? The home help service in west Cork, and everywhere, is at the front line like no other. There are approximately 1,000 elderly and vulnerable people getting home help in west Cork and 350 home helps providing a service to these vulnerable people. Many home helps visit numero…

I would appreciate it if the Minister could furnish me with that information. I want to commend the community hospitals in west Cork that had doses of the vaccine leftover but called in a number of home helps to use them up. It was a great idea and the right way to use up the few vaccines that were available. The intimate care home helps have to provide, which in many cases includes washing and changing patients, does not allow them to keep a distance of 2 m. It is imperative that they get the vaccination ahead of …

The lack of broadband is now becoming a living nightmare for thousands of workers who cannot work from their homes and students who are unable to connect from their homes to the schools. We await the roll-out of national broadband, which is great, whenever it happens. In the last week alone, I have been contacted by families from Dunmanway, Coomhola, Bantry, Drimoleague, Kinsale, Bandon, Adrigole, Dungarvan and up to 40 households in Kilmacsimon. All these have little or no broadband in west Cork. Only a number of …

I have three minutes for questions and answers and Deputy Mattie McGrath has the remainder of the time. We have been six months fighting on the cross-border directive for a new scheme. There seemingly is a newly announced Northern Ireland planned healthcare initiative. Will this scheme be available to people from west Cork or elsewhere in the Republic of Ireland who have problems with cataracts, hips or knees, or are generally in need of surgical procedures, in exactly the same way as the old cross-border scheme? I…

I do not have much time for the questions and maybe the Minister can reply to me after the debate. I spoke about fisheries yesterday and I will repeat some of what I said in case the Minister did not get a chance to hear it. I have consistently called on the Government, especially the Minister, to be straight with the fisheries sector and the public about why the Government effectively sold out the entire sector during Brexit negotiations. The latest analysis released by officials in the Department of Agriculture a…

With regard to special needs, it is a very difficult time for everybody and I respect that and I am not going to add to that difficulty. On the question of going back to school, up to now it has kind of been the cart before the horse, or that is what people have been saying - announce the openings first and then have discussions afterwards. Doing it this way is causing a lot of false hope for special needs children and their parents. Unfortunately, that hope evaporates and it then becomes a matter of a certain crit…

I am delighted to speak in support of this motion. I know that the student nurses have been exploited to a large extent during this pandemic. They have had to work long shifts, some up to 13 hours a day, and have been exposed to traumatic scenes in the hospitals, including treating seriously ill patients and comforting the dying and their families. Despite all that, these student nurses were not paid. Student nurses work amid a tsunami and are utterly under-resourced. Meanwhile, the Government has approved an €81,0…

I thank Deputy Michael Healy-Rae. Obviously, we in this country wanted a Brexit deal to be agreed. It is certain that nobody here wanted a hard border. We did not, however, want a deal at the cost at which it has come for certain sectors. I put the blame for how the Irish fishing sector has been affected firmly on the Irish Government. I have consistently called on the Government to be straight with the fisheries sector and the public as to why it sold out the entire sector during Brexit negotiations. The Governmen…

In 2020, more than 7,000 people either going blind or in pain and in need of an operation availed of the cross-Border scheme. On 31 December, this scheme ended, leaving thousands in the Republic who require urgent surgery in the North stranded. Three cross-Border health initiatives were in place prior to 31 December. Cancer patients travelled from Donegal to Derry. Children requiring heart surgery went from Belfast to Dublin. The third group involved cataract patients and others. Legislation was correctly put in pl…

I have a lot of questions but I accept that the Minister will not be able to answer all of them now. I ask that she reply in writing to those questions she does not cover. My office has been inundated with calls, messages and emails from leaving certificate 2021 students, as I am sure is true of every Deputy. The main message from the students is that the Department should put a predicted grades system in place and any students who are unhappy with that should be give the option of sitting the leaving certificate e…

If the Minister cannot answer all my questions in the time available, he might respond to me in writing. What action will the Minister take to ensure the return of accommodation fees, which were paid in good faith at the start of the academic year, given that because of Covid-19 restrictions, the majority of third level colleges are carrying out lectures online and students are no longer availing of student accommodation and cannot attend college? What plans does the Minister have to provide a support package for s…

The Irish fishing industry was worth €1.2 billion prior to the Brexit trade deal and created 16,000 jobs scattered around coastal communities. The Irish fishing industry caught 60% of its mackerel in UK waters but the new negotiated deal means we will be reduced to approximately 13%. This deal is completely negative for Ireland. For instance, Belgium and Spain will lose less than 1,000 tonnes per annum in the pelagic sector, while Ireland will lose a staggering 23,496 tonnes. Surely, this shows the Irish Government…

It appears to be the consensus among survivors that they needed time and space to digest the findings of the report before any apology should have been given. The leaking of this report has completely undermined survivors. It was a cruel and deeply cynical move. One way or another, the report was leaked. How did it happen? Who leaked it? Who was given a copy? Surely the State could have at least done this part right but sadly the survivors have been let down yet again. The Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin, when in …

There have been more cases of Covid-19 per million people in Ireland over the past seven days than anywhere else in the world. There is a complete lack of focus on some factors that have not been addressed. Experts, including Professor Anthony Staines, believe the following four factors apply. The Government decided not to test adequately for Covid-19. In fact, Ireland was one of the only western countries that was neither carrying out testing at airports nor requiring incoming passengers to have a clear PCR Covid …

I apologise for being late. I sprinted to get here but the Minister had just got to his feet when I arrived. I appreciate the Minister giving us a full and detailed rundown of the capital funding and the ten-year national development plan ahead. I plead with him to give serious consideration to a constituency that I feel has been starved of good, serious funding for a long time to allow it to make changes. We have many issues in west Cork. The Minister is a fellow Corkman and he was down in west Cork during the sum…

Of course, I support this Bill 100%. Anybody with any decent line of respect would. It is unfortunate that it has taken this many years to bring a Bill of this importance before us for approval. We should make sure that no other delay should be put in the way of enacting the Bill. The showing of such images on the Internet, mainly of women, is outrageous and unacceptable. If it is an adult putting these things up - a male adult putting pictures of a female up like that - a custodial sentence should be considered in…

I am sharing time with Deputy Mattie McGrath. This is my last contribution in the Dáil in 2020. I wish the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, the Ceann Comhairle all the staff and all my colleagues the very best for the Christmas period. It will be a well-earned break for many people following a very difficult time for us all. On the vaccine, I am delighted to get the opportunity to have a discussion about it. I wish we had a little bit more time but we have something here and we must avail of the opportunity that we have. I h…