Since the establishment of Irish Water, local authority water workers have continued to work in their local authorities, which in turn have provided services for Irish Water. There were a lot of discussions about the full transfer of those workers and they were given assurances that, whether they transferred over to Irish Water or stayed in the local authority, all of their terms and conditions would be protected. It now transpires that if they stay in the local authority, their allowances are under threat. The Tán…

I am talking about those who stayed.

I raise the issue of our wastewater infrastructure, or rather the lack thereof. I agree with the mantra the Government repeats that we cannot use this surplus to invest in current expenditure because we cannot rely on that money, it might run out, and we will then require cutbacks. However, what we can do is to invest that money in necessary infrastructure. I want to focus on County Clare, in particular, because that is the county I know best, but it is the same as every other county in the country. It is, in parti…

I welcome what the Taoiseach has been told. However, Clare County Council has been told something entirely different. It has been told that Uisce Éireann is not looking at Spanish Point at all. It is not interested in including Spanish Point in an upgrade, nor is it interested in seeing whether Spanish Point could be catered for at Seafield or if all three of those areas, including Miltown Malbay, could be catered for at Seafield. Uisce Éireann is not interested in Spanish Point because it is not sewered. As it is …

I again raise the potential for accommodation over retail units in all our market towns. I asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, repeatedly by way of parliamentary question whether, where the ground floor is in use consistently and the upper floors have not been in use, that qualifies for Croí Cónaithe. These are not vacant buildings because the ground floor remains and has always been in use. I asked that question and got an unclear reply, sent it back to the Ceann Comhairle, who sent it b…

I thank the Minister of State.

I was addressing this Sinn Féin amendment. The Minister had indicated he would accept the amendment while proposing some amendments to it. I welcome the amendment and the fact the Minister is accepting it. The amendments he will propose make eminent sense. I had outlined how cumbersome it would be to take a criminal prosecution. I welcome the fact there is the possibility of a criminal prosecution because it is a deterrent, but is it clear who will prosecute the offence? I did not think it was. Is it prosecutable b…

I move amendment No. 17 a : In page 11, after line 33, to insert the following: “Power to require information 13. (1) The regulator may, by written notice (referred to in this section as an “information notice”) served on a person in the agricultural and food sector, require the person to give to the regulator, within such period and in such form as may be specified in the notice, any information specified in the notice that the regulator may reasonably require in performing its functions. (2) The period specified …

A regulation has to have some principles and policies for whoever will make it - presumably the Minister - to be able to stand over it in court if it is challenged. While the power to seek information is a general one, strengthened by the previous amendment tabled by Sinn Féin, which, in fairness to the Minister, he accepted, that does not in any way mean there will be an enforcement mechanism if the information is not provided, and that is what I have been harping on about since the start of Report Stage, three se…

The Minister is repeating pretty much what I said earlier. It is true there will be a criminal enforcement mechanism, and that is the only thing he has pointed to because there can be a fine on conviction. That will be a criminal conviction, so the regulator is going to have to get into the business of mounting criminal prosecutions and maintaining them, which is a very onerous process, as I said earlier. At the end of all that, even if a conviction is secured, it will have taken years because criminal trials, espe…

Consultation is not the same thing as a power of veto, clearly. Saying we will have a Zoom call with people about something that happened and that, by the way, we are not for changing is not consultation either. A community in Inch approached me and a member of the Tánaiste’s party because they saw works being done. We asked what was happening on their behalf but got no answer. In Scarriff, where I come from, works are being done on the former Clare Lakelands Hotel, which was last used to house asylum seekers a lon…

Was time not tight in Santry?

That is not the question I asked. Why is there a consultation with some people and not with others? That is the question.

I know how tight it is. I know there is an emergency. Do not patronise me.

Just tell me why there is consultation in some parts of the country and not others.

Can I get an answer?

No answers. Then people are right to protest, are they not?

What alternatives do they have?

The motion has been formally moved and I am grateful to Deputy Harkin for that. I note, on formalities, that there is an amendment from Deputy Shortall, which I am happy to accept. I note that there is not a Government amendment, which is appreciated. The motion is an attempt to be collaborative, or at least to acknowledge the efforts the Government has made. Despite the best efforts of the Government, 2022 was the worst year on record for overcrowding in Irish hospitals, with 121,000 patients left without a bed. Y…

Yes. I thank the Minister for his response. It is clear that a lot of work is under way in his Department and in the HSE. It is also clear that a lot of work is needed. My question is not whether the Minister, the Government or the HSE is doing something, but whether enough is being done to keep pace. Notwithstanding all the recruitment and all the efforts at reform, all of which are positive steps and absolutely necessary and some of which are long overdue and relate to issues that existed long before the Minister…