How any rural Deputy could support this baffles me. Any working couple in rural Ireland who needs a car or to heat a house will be at least €300 worse off next year. That amount will increase year on year until the difference compared with someone living in a city reaches approximately €40 per week. There are no alternatives. Show me where there is an electric tractor that will bale, mow and put out slurry for farmers. Be they in a city or the countryside, people must remember that all food travels by lorry and tha…

Let the Government not twist and turn out of this. We are crucifying rural Ireland while also asking it to sequester this so-called carbon.

Is there fresh water with that?

I hope this measure works but if people are not going into these businesses because of the restrictions, it will be fairly difficult to pinpoint the figure involved. I support the measure but have a specific question on it. Hairdressers are included but it is my understanding that if a hairdresser and a beauty salon are operating on one premises, the VAT rate for one service will be 9% and 13.5% for the other. I ask the Minister to clarify that because there is a question mark over it.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this issue. I have spoken to the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, previously, but this is my first time to speak to him in the Dáil, so I wish him luck as a new Minister. The uncertainty around Brexit is ferocious. Whether people like it or not and whether they live in a city or a rural area, we must realise that food is transported between Ireland and England by lorry and by ships going back and forth. We need to make sure that we understand that 60% to 70% of our beef goes to …

I wish the Minister of State luck in her new position. I will support this Bill but to be clear, it will not solve the problem. It might solve the problem with applications going forward but it will not solve the problem of the 2,000 applications that are caught in the trap at the moment. As the Minister of State is aware, 12,000 jobs are at stake. In my neck of the woods we have companies like ECC, Murray Timber Group and Masonite Ireland. All is not well in the timber industry, as has been highlighted by others. …

I move amendment No. 1: In page 4, between lines 5 and 6, to insert the following: "(7) The Forestry Appeals Committee would give their decision on an appeal within eight weeks of receipt or, in the case of an oral hearing taking place, the decision would be four weeks after oral hearing date.".". This amendment proposes that the forestry appeals committee would be obliged to give a decision within eight weeks and, if there is an oral appeal, that this appeal would be completely processed within three months of the…

To be quite frank, we are getting nowhere. When someone applies for planning permission or lodges an appeal in that area, a decision is made within a certain period. We are now bringing in new legislation that allows the deciding authority to sit on a case for a year. I know of decisions that have been awaited for 730 days, 531 days and 623 days. We are wasting our time here if we will not set a time limit on decisions. A time limit of eight weeks would allow certainty for both the objecting party and the applicant…

When farmers are applying for the single farm payment, they must do so before a certain date. If an inspector comes out and finds something wrong with an application, the farmer can appeal the decision by a certain date. In every other instance one can think of, things have to be done by a particular date. However, the Minister is saying that when it comes to the forestry appeals system, it will be a case of, "Sure, whenever we get to it." From 2016 to 2020, the Department reached only 57% of its target in regard t…

What supports are being put in place to ensure the economic viability of the regional airports around the country? There is a perfect example near the Minister of State's constituency, namely, Ireland West Airport Knock, which is facing enormous economic challenges as a result of Covid-19.

The Minister of State referred to loans being available. The sad reality is that for airports such as Ireland West Airport Knock, income is €4 million less this year. One can borrow money but how can one repay it if there is no income? There has been a 50% reduction in the workforce. There is a focus on many things. The Minister of State has met people in Dublin Airport. Has she met people such as Mr. Joe Gilmore in Ireland West Airport Knock or anyone in Shannon Airport to hear their frustration? The Minister of S…

The only problem with capital investment is that it does not help with the day-to-day running costs of an airport. I am asking the Minister of State to be very mindful that everything has focused on Dublin Airport. There is a danger for Cork, Shannon and Ireland West that if things continue as they are, they will not survive and we will lose the regional airports. Will the Minister of State give a commitment to secure the future of the regional airports whatever it takes?

I welcome this opportunity to speak on the Bill, which I support. It is important that we put it into law as soon as possible. We must make sure our troops are protected. I note that under the Bill a captain from another jurisdiction, by agreement, can give an instruction. That is okay but we must make sure we keep our unique identity. Irish troops have gone all over the world. They have carved out an unusual record because they are recognised everywhere they go as peacekeepers. We need to make sure we keep this fo…

The Tánaiste is probably aware of letters from Coillte that were circulated to contractors stating that, for quarter 1 of next year, there may not be work available to them. Those contractors have payments of approximately €150,000 per year and were guaranteed five years' continual work if they bought new machinery. The Tánaiste is probably also aware that in recent days, pallet manufacturers have said they are running out of timber. To give an example of what is going on, I know of a business in County Roscommon w…

Whoever is giving the Tánaiste his information is massaging the figures. I have figures from the Department. When one gets a licence, it is for four years so if a person planted 20 acres in 2018, it may be recorded as 80 as he or she has the licence for four years. We will move on from that point. At the moment, timber is being imported from Germany. There is a beetle in Germany and we must be careful not to go down the road we went down in respect of ash dieback. Companies are looking to other places. This started…

I welcome the measures such as the start-up grant, the rates initiative, the Covid payment and the VAT reduction. There is a lot of talk around the loan system and the credit guarantee, but many businesses are very afraid to move at the moment because they do not know what the future is. Most food products, and indeed most products, are shifted with pallets. One sector has come out today to indicate that Ireland will soon be without pallets and this is because the previous Government and this Government have not ta…

I wish the Minister well in her position. We should compliment everybody involved in the whole school set-up for getting schools opened. In recent weeks, I have listened to the proposals of the new Government and taken note of its commitments in the programme for Government regarding emissions and having less traffic on the roads. Bus Éireann has made it clear that the Minister or her Department closed the portals three or four weeks ago. I refer to climate change and an equal society. Children are being left on th…

I wish Deputies McConalogue and James Browne the best of luck in their new roles. I have worked with Deputy McConalogue on the agriculture committee. He is a country lad, which is a good start, and the first thing he needs to do is to look at CAP. A report published today shows that, under the scheme, farmers in Cork will be able to earn €53,000 but a farmer in Leitrim may only earn €8,000. It is the dead same all along the west coast and that needs to be addressed. The rollover of the green low-carbon agri-environ…

During the Covid crisis we have all paid our respects and thanks to the front-line workers, whether in the health service or in shops, but one sector - the farming community and the agricultural sector - has kept food on the table, not alone in this country but also in what we export to other countries. However, farmers in various sectors are at a loss at the moment. If they want to cut trees on forestry they sowed 30 years ago, they cannot do so because of serial objections and departmental incompetence. Soon 12,0…

I thank the Tánaiste. I agree with him on the unsung heroes. The €100 million for a beef exceptional aid measure, BEAM, scheme was provided when the price of cattle was down to €320 or €330 to keep a floor under the price of cattle. I am familiar with the new REPS, which is a pilot scheme. However, a pilot scheme will only involve a certain number of people over a certain length of time. I beg to differ with the Tánaiste on the issue of a commitment because I sat beside his party's candidate. The different farming …