What measures are being taken to ensure a greater proportion of the plastic is recycled? When will they be put in place? Schemes like the deposit return scheme can only be successful with public support. Of course it is, in effect, based on taxpayers' money via the rebate. With the most households already stretched, every additional cent has to be justified. We need transparency. I know that Re-Turn produced its annual report in August. It failed to disclose the CEO salary, but what we did learn raises questions ab…

I thank the Minister of State for that part of the reply, but the question about what happens to the Re-Turn money and the money made from the scheme requires a bit more clarity. The unredeemed deposits are worth over €100 million. Income generated from producer fees and recycled material is €50 million and although the report mentions unreturned deposits of €66 million, it was actually €103.2 million, so Re-Turn deducted €36 million as an estimate of how much deposits would be returned after the year end. These ar…

Unfortunately, we have turned a corner in this State. During the past week, we have had convictions for racially motivated murders and the lives of babies put in danger in Drogheda, where there was no way out of a burning building except down a stairs. Some of the online commentary in response to the attack in Drogheda were: "the person who did it must be staying there", "it was an inside job", "they did it themselves", "immigrants looking for better accommodation", "scum will get a nicer hotel now" and "there are …

I move amendment No. 1: In page 3, between lines 19 and 20, to insert the following: “(2) To insert new subsections after subsection (4): “(4A) The Board shall borrow to invest in projects on the basis of a prioritisation framework which encompasses— (a) congestion softeners in areas of high congestion, (b) security encompassing hospitals, Garda stations, water safety and wastewater treatment, (c) basic needs encompassing residential constuction, (d) exceptional cases of public interest, and will exclude grid infra…

I will come back in regarding a number of matters. One relates to what the Minister said about PR 6. While I appreciate that what was published during the summer is a draft decision, that is all we have to go on at the moment. We do not fully know what will be there but under the CRU's draft decision, households and SMEs will see their electricity network charges increase, while large energy users, such as data centres, will see reductions of up to 18%. It also stated that the grid upgrades are being driven in part…

I move amendment No. 2: In page 4, lines 32 to 36, to delete all words from and including “and” in line 32 down to and including line 36 and substitute the following: “ “(c) up to such amount as will enable such employees or trustees to maintain the same percentage of capital stock they held of the total capital stock issued by the Board that they held immediately before the relevant stock was issued, and (d) the approved scheme shall be subject to independent audit and the findings shall be published within 3 mont…

I did not get a chance earlier to pay tribute to and congratulate Catherine Connolly. I also pay tribute to Sr. Stan who was a Listowel woman and a Kerry woman. In a week when we saw the outrageous attack on the house in Drogheda and convictions for racially motivated murders, I would love to know what she would have thought about the way the country is going. I pay tribute to her for all of her work with immigrants and the homeless over the years. Due to decades of underinvestment, bad planning and mismanagement b…

Sinn Féin has long called for this debate and I am glad to finally have the chance to stand up for coastal and fishing communities. I thank our fisheries spokesman, Deputy Mac Lochlainn, for pushing for this debate.

These fishing communities have played a critical role in our economy and culture for generations but are now facing an existential threat following proposed cuts to our fishing quota and the Common Fisheries Policy. Just as we must protect marine life and biodiversity, we must also prioritise the communities that have lived alongside them for generations. Science and sustainability are not incompatible with thriving coastal communities; both can exist harmoniously. However, due to decades of EU inaction and diploma…

Despite 100 years of partition, the ties that bind us together remain strong. Many of us have family ties across the Border, such as my family ties in Enniskillen, Belleek and Derry. Those cousins are just as Irish as I am. Some 20,000 to 30,000 people cross the Border every day to work. When my club, Na Gaeil, plays in the latter stages of the all-Ireland club championship, we have to deal with the challenges of teams from both sides of the Border in Ulster. Politically, we also have to combat the lines that the I…

The education of children with special needs is one of the most frustrating and distressing situations for parents in County Kerry. They look on and see potential and achievable progress denied. As one mother said to me, the early years system is broken and the lack of appropriate services will have lifelong impacts on her son. Everywhere we turn we see that services have huge waiting lists, a shortage of staff and a lack of resources. Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Healy-Rae brothers are continuing to stand over a…

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I appreciate that he is only standing in for his ministerial colleague. He said there has been significant investment but we are just not seeing that locally in Kerry, which has one of the lowest numbers of early intervention classes in the State. An early intervention class includes a qualified primary school teacher and SNAs teaching the children. As one mother said to me, this setting of targeted and specific expertise can be life-changing for children. This is why th…

Ba mhaith liom ceist a chur mar gheall ar aonad oinceolaíochta san ospidéal i dTrá Lí. The continued failure to provide and deliver a stand-alone oncology and haematology unit at University Hospital Kerry is totally unacceptable. Patients and families in County Kerry deserve the highest standards of care. The minimum they should get is oncology services that are at least the equivalent of those in other counties, with chemotherapy, immunotherapy and compacting. I was informed in response to a parliamentary question…

What about the stand-alone unit?

Almost a decade ago, the Tánaiste pledged that no child would wait more than four months for spinal surgery. Eight years later, nine year old Harvey Morrison Sherratt died after waiting years for a procedure that could have saved his life. The curve in his spine went from 75 degrees to 130 degrees. By the time Harvey received spinal surgery, the curve had reached the point where it could not be fully corrected, causing his rib cage to twist around his lungs and heart, restricting his breathing and he lost his life …

The devastating consequences of the housing crisis have seeped into almost every aspect of our lives and are wreaking havoc in almost all aspects of our economy and society. No community has escaped its clutches and barely a family has not felt the brunt of its force. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have proved time and again that they are incapable of turning things around. In fact, the only thing they seem capable of is making things worse. In 2012, small apartments were available to buy in Tralee town centre for €45,0…

I thank the Chair for the opportunity to speak on the Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025, which deals with the EPA licensing system. Like many other systems, it is facing many problems, not least the long delays for many applicants. This poses a threat to the protection of the environment and erects barriers to the delivery of critical infrastructure. Sinn Féin is committed to Ireland's green energy revolution. With the correct political will and ambition, Ireland can transform from a net energy impor…

I am seeking an update on the Department's investigation into overflights of munitions to Israel? Will the Minister commit to upholding Irish law under the Air Navigation Act and to concrete actions to stop Israel transporting weaponry and munitions it is using to commit war crimes in Palestine?

I presume the Minister is talking about the draft report submitted in March this year.

Will he commit to publishing it or give us a reason for refusing to publish it? Will we be here again in seven months or seven years demanding answers from a Government that is still not publishing it? There is a perception, of which I think the Minister is aware, that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have been turning a blind eye to some of the most egregious crimes against humanity. I would also like to express my solidarity with the humanitarian fleet of 500 civilians, including our own Senator Andrews and 20 other Iri…