Today, people are being crucified by the cost of fuel. Farmers, agricultural contractors, hauliers, small businesses and ordinary working families are being hammered every time they pull into a filling station or fill the tank with home heating oil. What are they being told? They are being told that diesel costing about €2 per litre could become the new normal. I want to make one thing absolutely clear on behalf of Independent Ireland. We will not accept €2 diesel as normal. There is nothing normal about families h…

I beg your indulgence, a Cheann Comhairle, for a few seconds to welcome all the councillors from Independent Ireland, from all over the country, that have come up to the Dáil today, especially Councillor Mark Casey, who is joining Independent Ireland. He is our 27th councillor. We welcome him. I want to talk about what is happening to families all over the country when it comes to the debacle that is school transport, because you could not make some of this up even if you tried. I will give the Minister a sample of…

I thank the Minister. The school transport scheme has been reviewed and promises have been made yet children are still being left behind. This is the major issue we have. How can a child have no transport while a bus passes their door with ten empty seats? Why are priority concessionary pupils receiving no apparent priority? When will the nearest school restriction, and this is a very serious question on which the Government has promised but not delivered, be changed? Have the promised 100,000 additional places bee…

I wish to raise the completely unacceptable situation facing families on Cape Clear Island off west Cork. One family who contacted me is caring for an elderly mother who has a progressive neurological condition and who requires 24-hour care. Her 81-year-old husband and daughter are doing everything they possibly can but they cannot replace a proper health service. The facts are stark. Cape Clear had no nursing cover whatsoever for the entire month of July. A nurse was present for only five days in August. Across th…

Independent Ireland will support measures that generally speed up assessments for children with disabilities. However, let us be very clear that speeding up paperwork is not the same as speeding up care. I have repeatedly raised the waiting times for assessment of need. Families are waiting far beyond what is acceptable. Parents are exhausted, fighting the system while vital years in their children's development are passing by. These are not statistics; these are families. I know of a five-year-old child referred f…

It has been 23 days since the drug Skyclarys was approved for roll-out to Friedreich's ataxia patients. To date, not one patient has been contacted in regard to how they can receive this life-changing drug. Can we have a debate in the Dáil today to clear that matter up?

I have raised the issue of Friedreich's ataxia sufferers with the Taoiseach on numerous occasions in this Chamber for well over a year. There is a need to approve the drug Skyclarys for people like Emily Felix, Paudie Coady and Emma O'Shea - the latter of whom the Taoiseach visited when he was in west Cork. She has asked me to convey her thanks to the Taoiseach for doing this. The huge fight these sufferers have had to go through to have the drug Skyclarys approved by the State leaves many unanswered questions on h…

Independent Ireland knows full well that crime has changed. Criminals are using mobile phones, computers and new technology, and the law has to keep up. I said many times in this House that giving gardaí powers is only part of the answer. We need gardaí on the ground as well. In rural Ireland, particularly in west Cork, people have seen Garda stations close and Garda resources stretched. I raised the fear that rural crime causes, particularly for elderly people and those living alone, and I have called for greater …

One hour for debate on such an important issue today is very unfair to the people of this country - the people who cannot pay their energy bills and the people pulling up to the filling stations who cannot pay for their fuel. We have found out today that part of this debate will kick out the farmers' rebate for farming contractors. That will not be tolerated. It could lead to strikes in this country, which we do not need to see again. We need further and proper debate today in this Dáil.

The time limit on this today is very unfair. We tabled constructive amendments, which will not be listened to today and are being kicked out, effectively. I have been talking to the farming sector, which is very seriously concerned because the previous cuts, which we supported, also included a rebate for farmers. As that is going to be kicked away this time, the farmers are going to get an awful kick back on this and are furious. They are talking about protesting. I am trying to keep the peace like we tried to befo…

Every parent knows that September has become one of the most expensive months of the year. While free schoolbooks are welcome, many families now face growing costs for other items. Parents are being asked to purchase laptops that cost €400 or more, make increased payments for school transport and pay charges to cover examination fees. For hardworking families with two, three or four children travelling long distances to school, these costs add up very quickly. At the same time, schools are struggling because the ca…

This matter has been raised twice already this morning, but it is hugely important. I will make a personal appeal to the Taoiseach regarding Skyclarys and the further delay that has now arisen. Yesterday, Emma O'Shea came to Leinster House from west Cork with her mother, father and brother. I am in regular contact with Emma, but seeing her here again yesterday fighting courageously for a medication that could help to slow the progression of this cruel disease had a profound impact on me and my staff. Emma is just 2…

------because of delays. I urge the Taoiseach to please do everything in his power to get this medication across the line.

Emma's family and other families like them simply do not have time to wait.

Emma O'Shea and others living with Friedreich's ataxia are in the Public Gallery and outside the gates of Leinster House for a peaceful protest. Can we have a debate on the current status of Skyclarys reimbursement and will these sufferers have positive news?

Today is not a day for politics. It is not a day for point scoring or trying to win an argument; it is a day for listening, humility and acknowledging the profound suffering endured by those who were failed by the people and institutions that should have protected them. To every survivor who found the courage to come forward, we believe you, we hear you and we are deeply sorry for the vile crimes you endured at the hands of the paedophile Bill Kenneally and for the length of time it took us all entrusted with publi…

The principle behind this legislation is straightforward. People should be able to make informed decisions about their own safety when entering a relationship. I support the fact that publication is not automatic. It remains a matter for the courts following a final conviction, with judicial discretion and, in most cases, the consent of the victim. That is an important safeguard. However, we must also ensure that in trying to protect victims, we do not accidentally put them at further risk. Victim privacy must be a…

I thank the Social Democrats for tabling the motion, which Independent Ireland will fully support. It is a brilliant motion. I want to put on the record my full support for the Before We Die campaign. I attended a meeting with the group in Cork city recently and I can honestly say it was a greatly attended and very moving meeting. Parents are being left in a crisis situation. This has been coming for a long time. People have been left on their own and it is time for the Government to sit up and take serious action.…

Deputy Gould is correct. I am not one bit impressed, and the other Michael Collins would not be either. While the discussions at the General Affairs Council were not directly about the Common Agricultural Policy or the Common Fisheries Policy, they were about something just as important, the money that will be available for both from 2028 onwards. Farmers and fishing families across rural Ireland are deeply concerned that new EU priorities such as defence, migration, AI and competitiveness could end up being funded…

With Electric Ireland raising electricity bills by 8% last week and Pinergy raising them by more than 80%, and more than 300,000 people in this country unable to pay their electricity bills, surely it is time for the Government to take action and have a proper debate in the Dáil as to how we can control these energy companies. They are out of control.