Front-line paramedics and EMTs. The numbers are there in the reply to the parliamentary question. I can give them to the Taoiseach.

The cost of accommodating asylum seekers has ballooned in recent years. It is now ten times the figure in 2019. It cost the State €1.2 billion this year. This is an extortionate cost to the taxpayer. Essentially, the State is paying hotel or accommodation owners a hotel occupancy rate. It has cost the State €4 billion since 2019. The average cost of renting a three-bedroom house is €20,000, yet the average cost of housing an asylum seeker is €33,000 a year. Wealthy accommodation providers are earning huge sums of m…

I welcome these statements. Aontú will be supporting the Opposition's motion later this evening. I met Cara Darmody today. What struck me most is how young she is. As I looked at her chocolate, her buns and her homework, it struck me just how young she is, yet she is forced into this campaign which is three years in the making. I commend Cara. I also commend the thousands of families and parents who, like Cara, are struggling immensely with a difficult situation at home and are forced also to be campaigners. It is …

First Choice Credit Union has announced reduced opening hours at several credit unions across Mayo, namely those in Achill, Balla, Ballyhaunis, Swinford and Kiltimagh. This is the latest onslaught and the latest decline. Ballyhaunis and Kiltimagh, for example, recently lost two of their banks. The credit union is the last banking institution left in these towns. These were once thriving towns and the loss of the banks has resulted in a loss of economic activity. Ballyhaunis Chamber has launched a petition to save t…

I welcome the Minister and wish him all the best in the years ahead. I also welcome the IFA president, Mr Francie Gorman, who is here. There are so many issues we could talk about, from GAEC 2 and the major concerns farmers have about it, to the ACRES scheme and the lack of payments, forestry issues, the Mercosur deal, and the TB issue my colleague referenced. There are major concerns with the EU's direction on CAP and the removal of its ring-fenced nature. We must remember where CAP came from. It was the policy th…

A pint in a pub is a healthier pint. There is a social dimension and, crucially, there is a referee. Government policy over recent years has hurt rural pubs. An average of 150 pubs close every year. Over the past 20 years, 2,000 pubs have closed. I raise the issue of excise duty and various different taxes. A third of the cost of a pint goes on excise duty. It is the second highest in Europe and it is hammering rural pubs. Rural pubs are the centre of our communities. They are not just local businesses. They are th…

Will the Taoiseach engage with the VFI on the excise-----

Will the Taoiseach engage with the VFI?

I will start by wishing the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin, and the Minister, Deputy James Lawless, the best of luck for the years ahead. I am of the view that apprentices have been treated like second-class citizens in comparison with their counterparts in the university system. I spoke to a builder the other day who told me he could hire 20 lads tomorrow morning if he could find them. That is a major issue. We will never build enough houses or infrastructure unless we can address the manpower issue in the count…

We are going to do the same thing again. That is why the teachers are balloting. I ask the Minister and the Minister of State to engage with the unions in a respectful way that will bring about reform that will be tolerable for teachers and students alike.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion. I only have three and a half minutes and there are so many issues. My first point is that there are major delays with An Bord Pleanála. I know people in my constituency who have been years in the planning system. It took them months to get the planning and then more than a year waiting for a decision on an appeal to An Bord Pleanála. I appreciate the Minister has made some progress on the timeframes but many people are still waiting more than a year for decisions on…

When it comes to IPAS developments, the Government is treating people like mushrooms by keeping them in the dark and feeding them dung. That is what is happening right across this country. It has allowed a vacuum of information to develop whereby it is another day, another rumour. I refer to the Belmont Hotel, St. Mary's Secondary School in Ballina and, most recently, Belmullet. I got a call the other day from a construction worker who was due to price a proposed IPAS centre in the town. This is how people are find…

Is it the case that the works are continuing for another application to be submitted? What are the Government's plans for an IPAS centre in Belmullet? It is totally wrong. The Government's policy at the moment is that people will find out when the scaffolding is erected or when people move in. This is unacceptable. It is no way to treat the people of this country.

What of the circumvention?

I welcome the proposal which has been a positive introduction for many businesses in the hospitality sector. However, like the previous Deputy, I would like to raise issues around local authorities rating outdoor seating. It is very unfair on businesses, particularly in the hospitality sector, which have been hammered in recent years. The increased cost of doing business has resulted in margins tightening and a reduction in tourist numbers. We need to seriously address issues in the hospitality sector before more b…

This is a-----

Yes, but he is at Cabinet.

He has an important seat at Cabinet. I understand he is the Minister for Justice but he is at Cabinet and this is a significant issue. It is going to hurt many businesses across Mayo if it is not addressed. I welcome the proposal around the outdoor seating and its extension. It is a common sense, practical solution but placing rates on new facilities or new seating is not acceptable. I ask the Minister to consider working with the local authorities on that.

I wish to start by congratulating the new Pope. I believe there is white smoke in the Vatican. I congratulate the new Pope. It is great news. I read the motion and I listened to the Social Democrats' contributions. To be honest I am quite surprised. They talk about pluralism and choice but it seems that the only choice they want to provide is the choice of those people who agree with them. There are thousands of families who are happy with the ethos of their school and who support the ethos of their school. Yet the…

I commend the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, Deputy John McGuinness, on his many years of great work and the enormous detail he has revealed in highlighting the very tragic case of Grace. I have no doubt he must be very disappointed in recent weeks at the injustice and the lack of justice that was served in this case. Child protection is a very important issue for us in Aontú. We have serious problems with and concerns about the report produced by the commission of investigation. First is its failure to conclude sexual abu…