The Supreme Court struck down the criteria in August 2020 and, as Deputy Canney said, the appeals board stepped down 18 months ago. Enough is enough at some point. The Minister can convene all of the expert groups he wants but people's lives are being affected by this and we need to move on it before the Dáil breaks up for the summer.

We need to look at the backdrop to this. The Minister's predecessor, who is, in almost every regard, a thoroughly decent man, did something quite indecent, with the support of the House, in one of the budgets that was passed down in the convention centre. The Supreme Court struck down the statutory instruments as being far too restrictive. Basically, in order to comply with the parent Act, a person almost had to be missing a limb to qualify. It was far too restrictive. Instead of just passing a new statutory instru…

The Minister used the word "immediate" at least once in his response. He used the word "urgent" several times. I do not doubt his commitment to this or his bona fides on it but, based on the delays to date, I doubt the Government’s ability to deliver it in a timely manner. People have waited long enough. Will the Minister put this on the agenda of the Cabinet next week in order that he can come back to me and Deputy Canney with a timeframe for when a new scheme will be put in place? The announcement of the budget w…

Soon after the last election, Senator Mark Wall proposed a ban on online gambling. A Gambling Regulation Bill was introduced by the Minister for Justice to this House. It passed last December. Obviously, gambling brings in quite a lot of funds to the Exchequer, but there are other ways to earn money. If we can put health warnings on wine bottles now, what is the delay in regulating gambling? You cannot watch a match on television now without being bombarded with advertisements trying to get young people to go onlin…

What about Report and Final Stages?

I very much endorse much of what the previous speaker has said. I thank the Regional Group for tabling the motion and giving us the opportunity to discuss this very important issue. I acknowledge the Minister of State's bona fides on this issue in that she has very much sought to introduce reforms. I look forward to hearing in her closing remarks how those reforms are advancing, because the reality, notwithstanding the Minister of State's efforts, which I acknowledge, is that difficulties remain. Deputy Connolly po…

I wish to raise the ongoing need for consultation with communities which are hosting persons with temporary protection and international protection applicants. I want to give an example, which is the area where I come from and where I live, east Clare. Soon after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine last year, 40 Ukrainians arrived in Flagmount. Earlier this year, the east Clare holiday village was repurposed and 220 arrived. Very recently, the former hotel in Scarriff was repurposed and is taking up to 75 asylum see…

It does take time and I am glad the Taoiseach acknowledges there is a problem. We need to go further than acknowledging there is a problem and maybe establish a liaison between the HSE and IPAS. I am not blaming IPAS and I am not blaming the Ministers, who are both sitting there, at all but we do need a whole-of-government approach because what we cannot have is service providers, in particular vital services like GPs, having to choose between providing a service to their existing patients or maybe the growing fami…

That does not get down to the communities.

I thank the Acting Chair. I thank People Before Profit for bringing forward this Bill. It is something that was brought to my attention by Ennis youth group when I met members across the road in Buswell's. There was a time when people aged under 18 worked for pocket money. It was very much brought to my attention people aged under 18 are now working to try to save money to pay for accommodation if and when they go to college. The monetary pressures on people under 18 are much greater now than they were. I suppose m…

I wish to raise the agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, the so called agri-environmental scheme that farmers have long suspected was designed by civil servants for the benefit of civil servants, not farmers or the environment. The new inspection teams are being rolled out and in east Clare at least they are in big new 2.3 l long wheelbase diesel vehicles. These are the kind of vehicles you would expect to see at a Make America Great Again, MAGA, rally in Texas and they are paid for by taxpayers' money wit…

I asked the Taoiseach but if he wishes the Minister with responsibility for agri-environmental measures to respond that is fine.

Is the Minister putting his own money in farmers' pockets or is he putting taxpayers' money in farmers' pockets? That is what we are here to talk about.

I put money in farmers' pockets week in, week out at the mart.

What does the Minister do for them?

How much money has the Minister put in their pockets personally?

No. The Minister is talking about me putting money in farmers' pockets. I put money in farmers' pockets. What does he do? He is the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. He is talking claptrap.

Well, it is very cheap for the Minister when he spending taxpayers' money.

He is flying around the place buying 2.3 l gas guzzlers on an environmental scheme-----

-----and he talks about talk being cheap.