The children can wait.

And the children today?

I welcome this motion from my colleague, Deputy Gogarty. I hope it receives cross-party support. There are many problems with the in camera rule in the family court. It is something we in Aontú have raised consistently for a long time. The cross-party group has formed in the Oireachtas seeking reforms. This is very welcome and indeed it is good to see Government backbenchers as part of that group as well. Deputy Gogarty cited the example of Britain and the pilot system it introduced to remove the in camera rule and…

I very much welcome the fact that the scheme has been extended to Wexford and Dublin. That is a step in the right direction. We in Aontú remain very much of the belief, however, that 100% redress is required. Unfortunately, the scheme does not offer 100% redress. The scheme has been changed many times since it was first discussed, which is creating a massive amount of confusion. I have heard of cases whereby, incredibly, one semi-detached house may qualify and the one next to it may not. What type of a mess is that…

Before Christmas, the Government voted against proposed wind turbine guidelines from the Opposition. It did so because it said that the Government's proposal and guidelines would be brought forward early this year.

Spring is nearly over. Where are the guidelines? In 2024, the then Taoiseach, Deputy Harris, stated that wind turbine guidelines would be in place before the end of that year. Right across Ireland, companies are submitting applications for significant wind farms. The guidelines allow these companies to bypass local authorities and to build massive turbines very close to people's houses. The people in local and rural areas deserve guidelines. When will those guidelines be put in place?

I have major concerns about small family businesses right across Mayo and the west. They are in massive difficulty. During the recent protests, I spoke to a number of people, not from the haulage, construction and farming sectors but from small family-run businesses that were really struggling. They are struggling with the cost of business. They are struggling with rates. They are struggling with insurance and with increases in terms of labour force and auto-enrolment. All of these things are really crippling busin…

My fear is that we will push these people off the radar and pave the way for large seaweed harvesters.

I ask the Minister to intervene.

Hauliers and farmers who took part in the fuel protests are now facing summonses. In some cases their registration plates were recorded at the time of the protests and now they are being pursued. These are people who have invested heavily, in some cases hundreds of thousands of euro, into their businesses, trucks and livelihoods. The additional penalty points will see many of them lose their licences and their insurance policies. There is a real risk, therefore, that some of these people will be put off the road an…

Today, on Earth Day, I raise the very important issue of our pollinators. Our native Irish bees are in significant jeopardy as a result of the importation of foreign bees. The importation during the Covid-19 years increased by fivefold. Studies have shown that the rate of hybridisation in Irish colonies has increased by almost 300% over the past six years. That means our native Irish black honey bees are mating with other bees in the area. Beekeepers obviously cannot control that. They are mating and the result is …

I want to raise my concerns about the retirement age for emergency personnel and particularly for the retained fire service. Every year, very valuable members with huge amounts of experience leave the force - the retained fire service. In one station alone, 100 years of experience will be lost over the next number of years. These are individuals who undergo medical examination every year after the age of 50. My view is that if a person wants to continue to work and if they are eligible and passing their medical exa…

First, I support the motion brought before us today by Sinn Féin. Every year there is a scramble for families of children with disabilities to access special educational places, which is their constitutional right. In Mayo, it is no different. Many families are panicking, chasing SENOs and ringing school principals and the NCSE. That is what it is happening. The level of anxiety is frightening. Such families attend my clinics, but what should I say to them? It is devastating. These are our most vulnerable children …

This Government has signed Ireland up to a number of binding carbon targets which carry enormous fines for the taxpayers of this country. Will the Minister and Ministers of State provide an update on where Ireland stands with regard to those targets and on the potential fines that this State will face in 2030?

It is really important that the Government understands that the targets Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have signed the Irish taxpayer up to carry with them significant fines. According to the Climate Change Advisory Council, CCAC, and the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, IFAC, the fines involved range from €3 billion to €28 billion. The Minister of State has responsibility for this. I am asking him about the fines. What are the factors that will determine whether we face fines of €3 billion or €28 billion? The Government …

A responsible Government would be able to answer basic questions on the fines that we are going to face and that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael signed us up to. The Minister of State mentioned significant progress and stated that policies are in place. Policies should have been in place before the Government signed us up to these measures. We have been laggards in relation to this. In fact, when the Government signed us up to these targets in 2023, it accepted an increased target of 42%, when Ireland was already missing…

No, the fines-----

Not the rhetoric, the fines.

Answer the question.

What about IFAC, the climate advisory council and the €26 billion? Has the Minister of State no idea? Come on.