I have a number of issues that I want to raise with the Taoiseach today. Over the last number of weeks I have met businesses across a range of sectors in Galway, from developers to healthcare providers. One of the main concerns they all have in common is a difficulty in trying to recruit staff. A lot of businesses, in particular those in the hospitality sector, which includes small restaurants and coffee shops, are very worried about their future and the viability of their business. A significant number have told m…

I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. In connection with the housing crisis, another issue which has come up a number of times in my discussions with businesspeople and developers is the length of time it takes to get planning permission. Developers who want to build houses have told me it can take up to three or four years to get planning permission, which is far too long. The delays begin when working with local authorities to design suitable sites. When applications are granted, they are then more than likely app…

Eight weeks.

It is a great honour and privilege for me to have this opportunity to say a few words this afternoon about the late, great Noel Treacy. It was an honour and a privilege to serve with him in this House. I had great admiration and respect for Noel. I always worked very well with him and it was an honour to be able to call him a friend. Noel was a remarkable person, with a real gift for remembering people's names. It was a useful talent for someone in politics; I wish I had it. All he had to do was walk into a room, t…

A couple of months ago, I raised concerns in this House regarding the shortages in the healthcare sector and the chronic issue of staff recruitment and staff retention, particularly in the provision of home care for the elderly. The home care sector has been engaged in discussions with the Department of Health and the HSE since December regarding tender 2023, which will set out how the sector will operate in the next number of years. The current arrangements, known as tender 2018, have been extended by the HSE thre…

The issue of affordable housing has been raised many times before in this House by me and others. The stark reality is that housing is not being delivered quickly enough for those who need it. The Minister's Government has placed a heavy emphasis on the delivery of social housing and that is only right and proper. There is another cohort of people who want to own their own home. They are the people who do not earn enough to get a mortgage from the banks to buy a house on the open market. These are the people who go…

I thank the Minister for her response. No doubt she and the Government are committed to try and deliver social and affordable housing. I should point out that some of the schemes in place at present to help first-time buyers are unlikely to benefit the people in the middle I have been talking about, especially those whose incomes are at the lower end of the scale. I mention the experience of people in my constituency. I want to know because there is a site in my area of Claregalway that is earmarked for affordable …

At the outset, I pay tribute to a man from my own county of Galway, Finian McGrath, former Minister of State with responsibility for disability issues. He has spent a lifetime championing the cause of people with disabilities. He was a driving force behind this House ratifying the UNCRPD in 2018. That convention states that people with disabilities have the same rights as everyone else. It also states that countries signing up to it have an onus to provide equal access to transportation. Unfortunately, despite the …

There is a growing problem due to a shortage of drivers to operate school bus services, which could have a serious impact on the running of those services in many areas around the country. Drivers who work for companies contracted by Bus Éireann to provide school bus services are being forced to retire once they reach the age of 70 years. However, there is no such requirement on drivers employed by commercial bus companies running other services. These are experienced drivers with perfect track records who are fit …

The previous Government, under the leadership of the Taoiseach, introduced an important grant scheme, the large scale sport infrastructure fund. It was a welcome innovation by the Taoiseach and the then Minister with responsibility for sport, Shane Ross. It involved an initial capital allocation of more than €100 million. As the Taoiseach is aware, many sports clubs and organisations around the country are looking to build large-scale facilities but with a cap of €300,000 on funding available under the sports capit…

I welcome the Taoiseach’s commitment to look at renewing this funding programme. I will outline what the allocation to the Renville sports and community grounds meant to a community like Oranmore. This project is a joint one by the local Oranmore Maree GAA club, the camogie clubs and the Naomh Mhuire ladies football club. Between them, they field an impressive 90 teams. They plan to construct a sports centre of excellence in Renville and Oranmore on a 34-acre site to include four new playing pitches and a covered t…

I am contacted on a regular basis by individuals in my constituency regarding difficulties in accessing health services. These difficulties exist across a wide range of services, including home help, services for children with disabilities, respite services, nursing staff and even down to a shortage of administration staff to type letters, which results in delayed or inaccurate treatment of patients with neurological diseases. On making further inquiries with relevant authorities, I am informed these delays are a r…

Now that a scheme to fund new community centres has been announced, will the Minister outline when it will open for applications?

I thank the Minister for her reply. As she stated, there are many communities in cities, towns and villages throughout Ireland that do not have a community centre or centralised location in which to gather and meet. I very much welcome the introduction of a new scheme that will enable communities across the country to build and refurbish community centres. As I stated previously in the House, Newcastle in Galway city is an area with no community facilities. It is home to almost 6,000 residents. A committee got toge…

I thank the Minister for her support. She has met me and other Oireachtas Members since we first raised this issue with her. I acknowledge the support of Oireachtas colleagues in Galway for the project. I very much welcome the introduction of this much-needed scheme that will unite communities and keep them active. Community centres are often the backbone of communities but, unfortunately, there are areas where no community facilities exist. Newcastle in Galway city is one such area. Of the residents of the area, 6…

I want to read an email into the record of the House. It is reflective of emails, calls and messages I receive every week. It reads as follows: I work in the tech industry, and at 35, I'm renting a bedroom in a house with 4 other working professionals. I've given up on hoping that the housing disaster here will improve, so I've had it approved by the company I work for and will be emigrating. My colleagues are now making similar requests. I'm just writing to let you know of a reality that many working professionals…

The traffic problems that are plaguing Galway city are well documented. In excess of €35 million has been spent in the last 20 years to progress a ring road. On Tuesday last, the Minister for Transport stated that the current plans for a ring road could not proceed and that the National Transport Authority, the local authority and the Department of Transport would have to look at a new transport strategy for Galway. The following day, in the Dáil, an Tánaiste, Deputy Micheál Martin, said that the N6 Galway ring roa…

There has been a lot of debate in recent times about the state of our health services, with growing waiting lists, emergency department overcrowding and more. What may be missed in the middle of all of this talk is by how much services in the western and north-western part of Ireland lag behind those in the rest of the country. A capacity review carried out by the Saolta University Health Care Group in 2019 found that almost two thirds, or 64%, of the infrastructure at the region's biggest hospital, University Hosp…

I thank the Taoiseach but, given the track record of the HSE, I cannot see that happening. I appreciate there has been some investment and there are plans for further investment in health services in Galway and the west but the region is still lagging behind the rest of the country and needs much more. I have raised previously the need for a minor injuries unit in Galway. I visited the excellent facility in Roscommon and I was extremely impressed with the efficient way in which it deals with everything from broken …

Pray it will be.