I do not-----

He sent us electric buses-----

-----that had to come back. You remember that.

It was two buses that were brought back up as they were not fit for purpose.

With regard to the bus service, I recently had the opportunity to visit the offices of the rural link bus. It is 100% correct that connectivity or having the bus service makes a difference to people's lives. It is absolutely brilliant. Any investment like that is, of course, extremely welcome. However, to clarify, the point I was making was about the Minister, who, in his infinite wisdom, sent electric buses with no safety belts down to Dingle. They were not equipped to operate in a rural area. To prove the point, …

I thank the Social Democrats for bringing forward this very important Private Members' business-----

I am sorry.

I apologise.

Neutrality transcends mere non-involvement or detachment. It embodies a proactive stance in fostering human rights and liberty, shielding individuals from tyranny, championing peace and contributing to UN peacekeeping missions in regions such as Lebanon, the Congo, Chad and South Sudan. I pay a very strong word of thanks to the people who have worked in our Defence Forces over the years, whether at home or abroad. They have gone out and served our country with distinction. Some of them have very sadly lost their li…

I wish to raise road safety schemes in County Kerry. Over a long period, Councillor Jackie Healy-Rae in the Castleisland electoral area has raised this very important issue. In 2024, Kerry County Council and our excellent director of roads and transportation, Frank Hartnett, have only received €550,000 to progress road safety schemes in the entire county. This is an increase of just €7,000 from 2023. In one municipal district in Kerry that stretches from Scartaglin back to the west of Dingle, the Castleisland - Cor…

I ask the Government to look at the bigger picture, the deer roaming onto our roads and the fact local authorities are not cutting hedges and keeping trees back to gives us sight distance on our road. I am asking the Government to look at the bigger picture and when it comes to road safety and the RSA-----

-----to not just be looking at the one thing all of the time - penalty points and driver behaviour on the roads. Look at our responsibilities. It is all of our faults that we are not spending money at those locations. I am not blaming the Taoiseach; I am blaming all of us.

We should be doing more to help people on the ground.

If the Government is serious about saving lives on our roads, the local authorities will need a massive increase in funding for road safety schemes. The RSA recently spent €800,000 on one single television advert for its 30 km/h town campaign which in my personal opinion was a glorified tourism advert for the town of Clonakilty. Yet Kerry County Council only received, again, €550,000 for the entire county to progress road safety schemes in 2024, schemes that will have an impact on our roads. Money is being squander…

I thank Deputy O'Donoghue for sharing his time and Sinn Féin for bringing the motion before the Dáil. I would like to deal with some quick practicalities. I thank the housing staff, clerk of works and people I deal with on a daily basis in our local authority, Kerry County Council, who are engaged in spending the money they get from central government to do the works that are required in the council's housing stock. We are falling far short all the time. I want to highlight voids. I hate the term "void"; a void is …

Every year, we have the same issue when it comes to passports and the backlog in the Passport Office as we head into the holiday season. Myself, Martina, Fiona, Jackie and the people in my office are very thankful to the staff of the dedicated TD line who deal with our queries. However, being limited to 20 queries per week is only a drop in the ocean because I could well call more than 20 times per day. The entire process needs to be reviewed. When an application is received in the Passport Office, all the document…

None of the three had any alerts on them, but they still went almost three weeks over the date.

I am making it quite clear. I am not criticising the people in the Passport Office. They are dedicated and committed.

I thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs and his staff.

It is just a fair observation that something has gone wrong.