I would like to talk about people in the wet trades such as, for example, block layers, plasterers and people involved in construction. I am speaking in particular about young people in County Kerry. The Minister of State has a great, sound and solid working interest in this. I want him to try every endeavour he can to ensure we will be able to encourage young people to get involved in block laying, plastering and all of the trades it is extremely difficult to get people in at present. For example, getting young pe…

Let me be clear: personally, the Minister of State is a very nice, affable man.

I wanted to get that out of the way, as this is nothing personal against him. However, the Green Party should be ashamed of what it has done to the people-----

-----and I will tell the Minister of State why. First, look at the folly of what is going on in Foynes, where we have mulch coming in from Brazil. There are thousands of tonnes of it and it must be transported up through the country to replace the peat we were producing ourselves. The Minister of State may shake his head because he is ashamed of that fact, which has made a lot of headlines in the last couple of days. I put down parliamentary questions on it and this is not the first ship that has come in. Of course…

I am glad to put on the record that I have been providing accommodation to families and others for many years, throughout all my life. It is a great source of amazement to me that many of the people proposing this Bill are serial objectors in their own constituencies. They object to houses because of the height or the density or because they are afraid. A percentage of these houses will go to social and affordable housing, but they are not happy with that. They simply do not want to see the houses being built in th…

Very briefly, I want clarification. This is a very important point if people have to declare an interest before a vote. For example, there are many retired teachers in this Dáil. If we are having a vote on issues relating to teachers, do teachers have to stand up and declare an interest? If we are dealing with an issue on farming, do Deputies who are farming at home have to stand up and declare an interest? What about fishermen? We have to be really careful about this. I am seeking clarity from the Ceann Comhairle,…

Is that sufficient?

Are we to take it-----

The Deputy is giving direction-----

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the clarification.

I say a heartfelt thanks again to all the people who worked so diligently from all political parties and none. There were people we can call the headline players whose names were instantly recognisable. I like to be parochial about things. I will remember fondly a man from Kerry who did Trojan work quietly and in the background, but in a thoughtful and hardworking and diligent way. He is a retired Deputy of the House, Martin Ferris from County Kerry. He certainly put his shoulder to the wheel for a long period of t…

Members of Macra na Feirme, an organisation of which I was proud to be a member many years ago, are leaving this evening to march to Dáil Éireann and will be here tomorrow. I earnestly request that the Taoiseach be there to meet them at the gates. It would be a good and proper gesture for the Taoiseach and Government to make. I want to speak about young farmers and the difficulties, trials and tribulations they face. Only 6% of farmers are under the age of 35. This is a telling story about how young farmers feel in…

I certainly hope that the Taoiseach would not accuse me of scaremongering on any issue because what I talk is facts; hard, cold facts. The Taoiseach spoke about housing. I want to highlight one of the main things that young farmers want when it comes to housing. All they want is to be given a piece of paper called a planning permission. It is something that can be extremely difficult to get in rural Ireland at present and indeed in the past and perhaps also the future. I would like to see measures being taken to en…

And more than his book.

In County Kerry, which I represent, we have 172 voids, which are empty houses. Why are these not being tackled and put into use? When local authority houses become available, why are they not put back into use within, at the most, a month? Houses like that should be turned around in five to six weeks and new people should be put into them. Deputies in this Dáil attack property owners. I have heard more rubbish in here today from people who are serial objectors themselves. They have objected to thousands of houses b…

I am not going to be shouted down

I am addressing the Chair. As you well know, since you have been around here a while, I always-----

-----declare my interest in every debate.

I provide a lot of accommodation.

Please stop the clock.