I thank the Taoiseach; the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill; the Ministers of State, Deputies Butler, Buttimer and Moran; and all of the other people who took time out from their busy schedules during the summer to come to County Kerry. Those meetings, those groups and delegations they met, were not photo opportunities; they were about work and about business in Kerry. I am grateful for all of that time, and I appreciate it. As a retailer of fuel over many years, I have seen the broadsheets' projections for the ne…

I welcome the passing of this resolution in a very special way. At this time, we need to continue these supports as they are very important. If we look at the bigger picture and the future fuel needs of the country, the fact is that an awful lot of activity, including agricultural activity, is based in rural areas. So much needs to be moved around this island every day by large trucks and we do not have train or bus services on every road and in every town in the country. We have to look at the taxation of fuel bec…

This motion is timely because, with the massive increases for people running their homes and businesses, people who are working have never been at more of a disadvantage because of the high cost of going to work, childcare and fuel. What we need is a more targeted approach by the Government. It will never be more important or timely than in the upcoming budget to make sure that the supports that will be made available for energy and the general cost of living are targeted to help people who are really struggling. F…

I sincerely thank Deputy Charles Ward for bringing forward this important motion. It is a reasonable motion. I acknowledge the work that has been done by people from the Government and the Opposition in securing the situation with IS 465:2026. Large sums of money have been put forward to help the affected families. I have spoken to many of them over the years. The one thing of paramount importance is the case-by-case study. In other words, I note that the motion brought forward calls for "an explicit entitlement fo…

I urge the Government to outline its position on the EU lead ammunition proposal. This is the proposal to take lead out of ammunition, which could have a negative effect on 150,000 licensed shotgun owners in Ireland. There seems to be a problem in government in identifying which Minister and Department is actually going to be responsible for this. I would like a bit of effort to be made in that regard because rural stakeholders deserve to know what position Ireland intends to take before any decisions are made that…

Yes, but the Minister seems to be saying it is not his responsibility.

The Minister knows my views on this whole matter. Like Deputy Toole, I would like to think that I am coming at this from a sound and sensible perspective, not like the motion we had here last week where we had people who were against economic activity, building roads and everything we are trying to do from a common-sense point of view. We need roads and houses. A term used in the motion last week was "unsustainable housing". I would love to know what an unsustainable house is. I would love to know how any politicia…

Is my time up?

Sorry. Regarding many of the estates that are built there, the airport was there before the houses, and they knew where they were going to live.

This motion is mad. It states that Dáil Éireann recognises that the Government will further increase carbon emissions by lifting the Dublin Airport cap, promoting unsustainable housing and economic development and by no longer prioritising public transport and active travel investment over road construction. The message must go out loud and clear from here today that the Labour Party is against tourism and economic development, it is against house building and it is against the construction of roads. This is a very…

"Safe, legal and rare" was the line in 2018. HSE data shows that between 2019 and 2024, 10,426 women who attended an abortion appointment did not return after the three-day cooling-off and waiting period. That proves that those ladies took time to reflect and made a different decision to what they might have made if they did not have the cooling-off period. The waiting period was presented as an important safeguard within the legislation. There are close to 11,000 abortions taking place in Ireland every year. Over …

I ask the Minister to give confidence to the sector - the long-established self-catering operators who have been operating legally for many years - that they will not be forced out of business as a consequence of the new short-term letting regulations?

I thank the Minister. I know his heart is in the right place on this matter, which is the reason I am asking him the questions. What communications has he had on the national planning statement? Will the statement be made available for consultation with stakeholders before implementation? What would the Minister like to see in it?

I welcome the statements from the Minister, Deputy James Browne, the Minister of State, Deputy John Cummins, and the Tánaiste on overhauling rural planning. This is an issue the Taoiseach feels very strongly about himself. Kerry has been severely impacted. Places like Kilcummin and Beaufort are effectively sterilised, as is the Ring of Kerry route. Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, has questions to answer on this and on not allowing us to use existing entrances on the N70 or the N86 Tralee to Dingle road. Meat…

In regard to the package put in place, I want to thank the Minister, Deputy Heydon, the Ministers of State, Deputies Dooley and Grealish, and the Minister, Deputy Darragh O’Brien. I also thank the team who worked to put it together. Of course, I would welcome the package because I worked on it too. Like every package put together, the one thing you would always ask is whether it went far enough. The whole issue of taxation on fuel has to be looked at and that will have to be done ahead of budget 2027. Our tax syste…

We should all recognise the value of short-term letting to rural economies. Of course, the Government should also recognise this. I appreciate the work that has been done in this regard by the Ministers involved. There are 1,800 short-term lets in Kerry worth over €17 million to the county's economy. On the Wild Atlantic Way between Kerry and Donegal, there are over 6,800 short-term lets all in rural counties across the west coast, which is worth €256 million to our economy. Over the weekend, the Minister, Deputy J…

I acknowledge that the minimum figure of 20,000 for towns was a put in place. I had lobbied strongly for that because we want to protect the tourism capital of the western world, which, as everybody knows, is Killarney, County Kerry and there is no doubt about that. However, I am worried about people in towns and areas with a population of less than 20,000 where the planning guidelines will be put in place for short-term letting who have not been operating for more than seven years. The people need to see as soon a…

I thank the Government, particularly the Minister of State, Deputy John Cummins, and the Minister, Deputy James Browne, for the excellent work they have done in progressing planning exemptions on modular homes. I take issue with some political commentators and people in the media who refer to them as beds in sheds. This is highly insulting to the excellent and reputable Irish companies that are producing these modular homes. If only they knew what they are talking about. The BER rating of many of these modular home…

I have listened to the protestors. I have listened to the workers. I have listened to the people of Kerry - the canvassers who soldiered on long days and bad nights with me over the years. I have listened to my family and my friends, to the office staff in Kerry - Fiona and Kevin - and to the Department of agriculture people, such as Jacquie Casey and all of the people I adore. I have listened to my son Jackie, who has been my side all of the time. I have always looked at myself as a gauge of the people of rural Ir…

Sorry, just one second. It is a lesson for people in the future. I adored being a Minister of State in the Department of agriculture because I felt I was able to do good and I was passionate about my job.