It is ironic that we are discussing this issue at a time when the incidence of hate speech and crime has seen a sharp increase across Europe and has become particularly serious and worrying, both offline and online. That is before even starting to talk about what is happening in Ukraine. The common EU action is needed to tackle this EU-wide challenge. However, there is currently no legal basis for criminalising hate speech and hate crimes at EU level. The existing list of crimes in the Treaty on the Functioning of …

Right now, below in Kerry, there are patients who have been lying for more than five hours in the ambulances parked outside in the yard. I will give the ages of some of the people who have been waiting on trolleys for up to 60 hours. There is a lady of 99, a lady of 98, a lady of 86 and a man of 90. They have been waiting for 60 hours in emergency departments underneath lights that cannot be turned off. They are so bright but cannot be turned off or down because they are fire lights. They have to be left on. The pa…

The Minister is abandoning farmers, fishermen, agricultural contractors, older people and disabled people tonight. Yes, I will vote for what he is proposing, but I do not agree with it because to offer people 2 cent off the price of agricultural diesel is an insult. At the same time, it has to be supported because it is a step in the right direction, although only a baby step. I remind the Minister that he was not very nice here in the recent past when we suggested to him that this is a measure he should take. He w…

It is a bit late.

If the Government listened to us, this would be sorted, but it is asleep.

The Taoiseach keeps saying that.

I thank the women of the past and of the present. In particular, I thank the mothers whom I often speak about. They are in charge of mom's purse. I have often spoken about mom's purse. What I mean by this is that if all is well with mom's purse everything is good but if it is not everything is not good. Ministers for Finance should always keep a very close eye on mom's purse. At the moment, mom's purse is under attack because of the massive increased costs in fuel, energy and the basic things we need to live. Mothe…

We must be very clear about this issue. In a recent statement, the Ombudsman for Children said that the assessment of needs delays are not a Covid problem. This has been an issue for many years. The HSE needs to explain why these measures do not appear to be working. The Minister of State must provide clarity as to exactly how many children are waiting for their needs to be assessed. We need to know the average waiting time and what areas of the country are most impacted. I can tell the Minister of State that in Co…

I thank Deputy McNamara for tabling this very important motion. It is ridiculous to think that at the start of the pandemic there was a six-week waiting list. During the worst of the pandemic it increased to six months. Now we are back to approximately ten weeks. This is a ridiculous length of time for people who desperately need to get their licence and to get on the road. At present 104,398 learners are waiting to take the driving test. The system we had in the county I represent, County Kerry, was absolutely per…

My colleagues and I are very glad to be able to bring this important motion before the House. It must be particularly upsetting for the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, to have to come in here and try to defend the indefensible. Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Green Party and, indeed, many Deputies on this side of the House who supported measures such as carbon taxes are now waking up because they are hearing it on the doorsteps. They are hearing that the people are feeling the brunt of what the Government has done to the…

We do not have the resources that you have in order to do costing.

You have an unlimited budget.

You know the answer to that.

We absolutely do.

That is being condescending and smart.

We have a concept of what the people at the doors want.

The Minister is insulting everyone today.

To tell the truth.

I thank the Minister of State. The number of issues coming up that would be of focused interest to the assemblies include biodiversity, local government, the directly elected mayor for Dublin, local government structures for Dublin, drug use, which is an important issue, and the future of education. When we talk about assemblies, we have to be fair, frank, honest and open. How can the Dáil and the public be certain that the citizens' assemblies will operate within the scope of their respective mandates? The final r…

I very much appreciate the opportunity to speak on this important motion. The only thing that amazes me is when I see people here talking as if they do not know how this has happened. A lot of the people who are talking against it and saying it is wrong - I refer to the high cost of heating homes and the high cost of travelling - are those who voted for it. Now they are here saying it is wrong. They are all around us. I listened to some of the speeches and to say that I was scratching my head would be an understate…