It is no wonder you have lost rural Ireland.

You lost rural Ireland.

You lost it.

I acknowledge the increases in the budget. There are certain elements of it that are most welcome. However, the one thing of which we must be very mindful is the ever-increasing rate of inflation. In terms of what €100 will do in terms of spending power, we are not very far away from a bag of coal costing €50. In many cases, it is already over €40. Everything is so expensive. There has been a massive increase in the cost of electricity. Despite the allowances certain categories of people might have, it is still not…

I thank Sinn Féin sincerely for bringing this motion before the Dáil. It is very important work. I want to declare an interest in the provision of a lot of different types of accommodation. I want to speak of the example of the town of Kenmare. People cannot get planning for anything in Kenmare. We have inadequate services there so we cannot build anything now or for the foreseeable future. We have a situation where a land tax is being levied on people who have land and the Government thinks that is going to solve …

I warmly welcome the people from the fire services who were outside the Dáil and in here today. We will debate their issues and concerns later on. I want to acknowledge their presence. The year 2022 marks the seventh year of the Kerry Science Festival. This is a week-long festival that takes place across Kerry this November. Of course, we know that nationally it is Science Week, but I want to acknowledge what is happening in Kerry because what we do in Kerry we do better than any other place in the world, and that …

On the whole area of science, there is such a world out there now for our young people. Of course there are challenges but there are also exciting times. If anybody has ever studied nanotechnology and what that means, they will see that it is about what is in the future, what we can actually do with regard to health and studying, and it is a completely different way of life. It is like people exploring the new world. There is a new world in this and there is so much talk that our minds could not even comprehend it.…

I try to but unfortunately the job of politics means I must have it with me more often than not. I would like to see our younger people doing better than us. This is what I am trying to say.

I welcome the people from the fire service who are in the Gallery and were earlier outside the gates of the Dáil. Many of them had to go home because they are on call tonight in their respective counties. I welcome the people who came from County Kerry and the rest of the country. They are here not because they want to be here but because they have to be here. They must make the Minister of State and the Government listen. When Government leaders and Ministers go on the television after tragedies, the first thing t…

I thank the Regional Group for tabling this very important motion. Research highlights the real burden that long Covid represents to the Irish population. We have an already overburdened health service, highlighting the importance of finding scientific solutions that can tackle the underlying mechanisms that are causing such diverse and debilitating symptoms. More than 27,000 people left Ireland's emergency departments before being seen by a doctor during the three-month period from July to September. I am not tryi…

If you had hair.

I welcome the Ceann Comhairle back. It is great to have him in charge of the House again. He was very much missed when he was away for a little time. We appreciate him. With regard to this issue, it is very important to acknowledge the great work done by the water section of Kerry County Council and the service it has given over the years. We have serious problems in Kenmare where we cannot have any development, and in many other villages, because of a lack of sewerage and water facilities in the town. We need deve…

He did not.

I appreciate the opportunity to speak on the Bill. The making of these amendments to the Credit Guarantee Act 2012 to support the needs of businesses to access additional finance is very important. According to the Government, it is in response to the economic difficulties resulting from the aggression against Ukraine by Russia and the spill, as we would call it, from that, as well as the shock wave effect it is having on economies and the cost of energy, fuel and gas throughout Europe and the rest of the world and…

I thank Sinn Féin for facilitating this excellent debate. More than 907,000 people are currently on a public hospital waiting list. The situation is so severe that hospital consultants are constantly warning that these treatment delays in care could put thousands of patients at risk of dying. Earlier this year, it emerged that a staggering 236,000 people are on separate waiting lists for scans and diagnostics. In overall terms this suggests that as many as 1.2 million people or almost one in every four people are c…

Like I always do, I want to declare an interest in all aspects of this issue that I am going to talk about. Some 20,535 properties were built in 2020, less than a quarter of what was constructed during the height of the housing boom in 2006. The national planning framework estimates that structural demands for new housing based on the demographics supplied is between 25,000 and 35,000 per year. Rebuilding Ireland has failed to meet its annual target every year since it was implemented. It was 41,000 units below its…

As always, I begin by declaring an interest in this topic. However, I speak on behalf of the people I represent in making a number of observations on the matter. First, the introduction of a ban on evictions will not increase the availability of housing, public or private, in any shape or fashion whatsoever. For the people in County Kerry who are on the waiting list, it will not improve their lot one inch. I want to see real and meaningful work by the Government that will make housing available to people. The one t…

I am glad to speak on the Finance Bill and on the budget the Minister introduced on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Ryan. I will first talk about the 9% rate of VAT. As a representative of the tourism capital of the western world, Killarney in County Kerry, I believe it is wrong for the Minister to allow uncertainty on this matter until February of next year. Having met with hoteliers last weekend, I know they are certainly not happy with what the Minister is doing or, as should I say, what he is not doing. With reg…

The Minister does not believe that.

We were hoping you would let it go. You are after bringing attention to it and making matters worse.