I wish to speak about the very sensitive issue of suicide and the effect it has on the people in our country and their families, friends and neighbours. Sadly and tragically, more than 4,000 people have died through suicide in the past eight years. We have seen changes in that time and I thank the current and past Governments for the efforts that have been made and the moneys that have been invested in psychiatric services. Of course, we could be critical and say that more should be done, but I want to go through t…

The main message to get out of this debate is that no one should ever need to feel alone. It is making the connection between the person who is at a critical time in his or her life and making it easier for him or her, whether that is through the local GP or calling the Samaritans or a friend, but also accessing the services that are there that the Government is funding. It is about making a person feel in this country that there is no need to feel lost or alone. You can put up your hand, dial your phone or call ou…

I thank and compliment Deputy Doherty and Sinn Féin for bringing forward this very important topic for debate tonight. I acknowledge the presence of the Minister of State, who is a decent and honourable man. We wish him nothing but good luck in his role. We will be relying on him 100%. The problem is as outlined in the Bill. We want to bring down the cost of claims and we want to give the savings back to the customers. Young people are paying enormous sums trying to get on the road. Young boys and young girls want …

I thank the Minister of State and appreciate and acknowledge his feet are firmly on the ground in this matter. I thank Deputy Carol Nolan, Mr. David Mullins, Mr. Brian Ó Domhnaill and all those who helped us to bring this motion before the Dáil. It is very important. The regulatory system in place is not working. Farmers, especially beef farmers, are being let down. Farmers work hard to make sure cows are in calf and the calves are safely delivered, and enough things can go wrong when a cow is calving. Nothing tend…

On behalf of the people of County Kerry, I wish to state how sorry we all were to hear about the two gardaí who were injured yesterday doing an honest day's work. With regard to all of the young people who are waiting to sit their theory tests, when the online portal went live last night, there was absolute chaos. People are being told that they will get appointments in a year or two. That is crazy stuff. These are young people who want to get on the road. Their work is necessary. I said it last week when we raised…

The Government has, unfortunately, lost the trust and confidence of the Irish people. Certain people might not like to hear this but the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET, has lost the confidence and trust of the Irish people because enough is enough. People have contacted me and the other Deputies in the Rural Independent Group. I heard this evening, for instance, from the musicians in this country, people involved in entertainment, who have not been able to earn a day's or night's pay for a long time. …

I am very grateful for an opportunity to speak to the Bill before it progresses because there are an awful lot of issues surrounding this. For instance, I want to remember members of the public who were adversely affected by FEMPI and marched on the Dáil, whether it was in regard to pay restoration or their pension rights and pension restoration. People who were adversely affected, and who paid a very dear price for the wrongdoing of others, had to struggle through very lean years. I remember also front-line worker…

In the past, the Minister has stated that he does not like to see people in motor cars. I believe that the Minister really does not like to see people in aeroplanes either. The connectivity between our country and the rest of Europe and the rest of the world is of paramount importance. The Aer Lingus workers are fighting for their survival. Cork and Shannon airports need to be enhanced and helped to grow. I ask the Minister of State and the Government to stop dumping money in Dublin Airport, an airport that does no…

I thank Deputies Michael Collins, Danny Healy-Rae and Nolan for allowing me some of their speaking time on this very important subject. I also thank the Minister of State for being here to introduce this very important legislation. While it is a step in the right direction, it does not go far enough. I want to look back on the campaign that brought us to where we are. I thank all of the people who lobbied their politicians up and down the length and breadth of the country. I thank the people in Kerry, including tho…

My four minutes are never up. I had four minutes.

I am sorry. I though the Leas-Cheann Comhairle had said four at the beginning. I will just finish by expressing thanks for the opportunity to speak on this issue. This is a step in the right direction but there is more to be done.

I sincerely thank Deputy Barry for bringing this very much needed Bill before the Dáil, the content of which is "to provide for preferential creditor status to employees in collective redundancy situations; to provide for recognition of a redundancy payments in a winding up; and to provide for related matters". What we saw happening in the case of the Debenhams workers was a disgrace. This week it will be 400 days since their campaign began. The way their case culminated and finished was a disgrace. For instance, i…

Regarding the designation of lands over the years, the easiest way to put it is that designation equalled compensation. By that, I mean that if a farmer was to find that his or her land was being designated for anything, compensation should follow. The one thing I am most worried about in all of this is that what seems to be happening is that the farmer's rights to farm his or her land are being eroded all the time. It is as though we are heading towards the day when a farmer who wants to come out the door of his o…

Turn off the money supply.

We will take on An Taisce then.

The Taoiseach is trying to wash this.

It is because they will not take the Taoiseach on. They would not be quiet if they were listening to the people who elected them.

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this important motion because this is such an important issue. It is beyond belief that, in the world we are living in today, these groups can come into Ireland, buy up vast amounts of property, earn money and pay no tax. I just cannot understand that. I cannot understand why a government - past, present or future - would want to allow that to continue. Why would it want this unfair advantage to be given to companies over our own people who want to buy their own properties? I …

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing this very important debate. Prior to the pandemic, we had an issue with the waiting times for driving tests and theory tests. It is an issue I have highlighted time and again, as have my colleagues. Now the waiting list and the backlog of people who are eligible to take the test and want to take it is out of control. The Department of Transport and the RSA have failed young people time and again. The previous Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross, and the hie…

I will sum this up in a couple of words. The Minister of State knows sweet damn all about cutting silage. If he did, he would not have made the statement he did here on the record to disgrace himself and the Government he is supposed to represent. It is easy for the RSA to criminalise, penalise, demonise and paint the young people of Ireland as a target for increased revenue for the State, when the reality is that only 6.6% of traffic accidents involved young drivers and they may not even have been the cause of the…