Your MEPs did not vote against it.

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I want to raise an important issue that does not relate to Uisce Éireann or group water schemes. It is about houses that are not supplied on the public system or group water schemes. There are quite a number of such houses around the country. I believe there are around 100,000. In the valley of Glensaul in Tourmakeady, County Mayo, are 15 houses. I have been working with this community to try to get water into their homes. One man in that valley has a makeshift water connection from the local stream and on a stormy…

I welcome the Bill and the emphasis it places on safety and prevention. This legislation is incredibly important. As we know, there have been many very serious and tragic explosions here and, indeed, internationally. Some of these explosions have resulted in the loss of life, such as the Creeslough tragedy in County Donegal. My thoughts and prayers are with the families affected in relation to it. This would obviously provide a statutory duty to ensure gas infrastructure is designed, built and maintained in a way t…

MKO is the consultant representing four companies seeking to construct wind farms in Belclare, Cooloo, Clonberne and Killimordaly.

We can see from the documents on the website of An Coimisiún Pleanála that, on 19 November 2020 during the pre-application consultation phase of one of the proposed development sites in Galway, a meeting took place between the prospective applicant, the design team and Galway County Council. A certain individual is listed as present at that meeting representing the wind farm company. Luke Silke has declared and shown me documents that this individual is now working for An Coimisiún Pleanála. Is there not a huge con…

The point I am making-----

Okay. I am happy to share this with the Minister of State after my contribution. The point I am making is that there are individuals who, on the one hand, worked for the consultancy aspect or, essentially, the wind farm companies and have now gone on to work in local authorities and An Coimisiún Pleanála. In this instance, the same individual who worked on a planning application is now working within the local authority and adjudicating on that same wind farm application. There is a huge conflict of interest here. …

On behalf of Aontú, I would like to table an amendment to the Order of Business under Standing Order 35(3). Aontú proposes an amendment to the Order of Business to add to Thursday's business and set a time in the House to discuss and debate the health implications of known carcinogens being produced under the Mercosur deal and beef produced in Brazil being permitted to enter Europe under that deal. Aontú believes a debate is necessary because the Government, through its inaction, has allowed this dangerous beef int…

I move amendment No. 1 to amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "qualified majority the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement; and" and substitute the following: "calls on the Government to: — undertake a diplomatic campaign to lobby and campaign a majority of Members of the European Parliament in Europe to oppose the Mercosur Trade Agreement; — take a case to the Court of Justice of the European Union to test whether or not the Mercosur Trade Agreement conflicts with existing EU Treaties; and — ensure that the Taoiseac…

Fox overpopulation devastates rural Ireland. Lambs and chickens are torn apart in a horrific fashion leaving farmers traumatised and livelihoods at risk. While the Bill frames hunting as cruel, unchecked fox population often inserts far greater cruelty to the livestock population. Hunting is often the only humane way to flush foxes from an area. If we ban this particular issue, it may push farmers into more difficult ways in terms of poisoning, snarls and so on. We need to protect farmers in rural Ireland, and I be…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this. I have huge concerns about vaping and have had for quite some time, particularly about the issue of vaping companies targeting young people as part of their marketing strategy. This is very compelling marketing strategy and it has been a successful strategy. Vape companies are using beautiful scents and smells and so on and presenting vapes as fun, almost like a toy. If children went into a vape shop, I am sure they would think that they were some beautiful sweets or toys…

This has been one of the worst deals in living memory when it comes to the Common Fisheries Policy. Irish fish are effectively being stolen by the European Union, which is what is happening. We are on the periphery of Europe. We have ceded so much ground to our counterparts across Europe. Some 57,000 tonnes of quota will be lost to Irish fishermen next year, which will affect more than 2,000 jobs. I was very concerned when I heard the Minister of State's statement about going to the national Exchequer for a compens…

Blister packs are fundamentally important. They are not a luxury; they are vital. I spoke to a pharmacist yesterday who explained what happens to dementia patients and patients with a cognitive impairment who are not on a blister pack. Many often end up going back into hospital because they cannot manage their medication. Their home help cannot assist them with it. They present back to the pharmacy, the GP and go into hospital when the medication is not provided to them in a blister pack. Blister packs reduce error…

The blister pack is fundamentally important for the most vulnerable. I have spoken to pharmacists across Mayo who say they will have to cap the number of patients who get blister packs. It is crucially important that the Minister, the Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O'Connor, and the Government prioritise the most vulnerable in society.

I welcome the Bill from the Social Democrats. I support and welcome the Dog Welfare (Amendment) Bill and I support its core objectives, which I believe are to regulate the industry, improve standards in the industry and enhance public safety. There are good breeders in the country doing good work. Equally, there are some horrendous practices happening in the country. Therefore, it is only right that we seek to introduce a minimum standard. The Bill is important in terms of introducing vital protections, limits to b…

The national security strategy consultation launched in 2019 was intended to guide our strategy on security for the past five years, from 2020-25. Despite this, no strategy was published during this timeframe. During that timeframe we had a huge ransomware attack on the HSE which put a significant number of people's lives and health in jeopardy and cost the State several million euro. What is happening on this? When will the strategy be published? It is costing the State a significant amount of money.

Ireland faces an emergency crisis in terms of infrastructure, housing, energy and water. According to the ESRI, an additional 40,000 construction workers will be needed for the housing plan and an additional 40,000 will be needed for infrastructure. That is 80,000 construction workers who are required to meet the Government’s plan. Indeed, the Dublin metro will require 8,000 construction workers. What is the Taoiseach’s plan in order to achieve this? I speak to construction workers in Australia all the time. They w…

I urge the Government to protect children online. What children are exposed to online is absolutely incredible, in particular the level of bullying that they experience. Many years ago, if a child was bullied it was confined to school or a football club. In the online world, it happens 365 days a year and could happen every hour of the day. This technology is not new, yet the Government has done so little. That is the truth. It has allowed tech companies to lead the way and we are in the ha'penny place. Some 40% of…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this and the fact that the Minister is in the Chamber. There are some improvements, and that should be recognised. I very much welcome the grant increase. Retrospective payments are good for many families, although they do not go back far enough. The extended timelines from 65 weeks to 130 weeks is supportive. However, there are significant shortfalls in the Bill. It does not achieve the 100% redress that is necessary. The Minister knows that building costs have significantly i…