On the evening of 3 September, Eoin Doyle, a 12-year-old boy, lost his life when the car he was travelling in was struck by a train in Kiltybo, just outside Ballyhaunis. It is incredibly sad and a devastating loss of life. His family and, indeed, the entire community are still in mourning and grief. I spoke to the family and their wish is that no family in the future will ever go through such a loss and such grief. My question to the Minister of State is what lessons will be learned. How many tragedies have there b…

Eoin was a wonderful young boy. He was a very talented Gaelic footballer, soccer player and golfer. He even won an athletics event in the weeks before his passing. He had the opportunity to meet the Mayo team with the Sam Maguire Cup as well. Like his parents, grandparents and wider family, he was very involved in the local community. I am aware of the crossing where the incident took place. It is extremely rudimentary in nature. Visibility there is poor. Indeed, there was strong mist on the evening as well. The cr…

I appreciate that there is a review under way, how sensitive this topic is and the Minister of State's sincerity. I have read previous reports in relation to other incidents. I am calling for us all to work constructively together. This is above politics. We need to replace user-operated gates with automated gates. This is happening in every car park and apartment complex across this country. The technology is there. It is widely available and it is cheap. The truth is that many of these crossings are on local road…

It is an honour to introduce this Bill before the House to remove Ireland from the EU migration pact to restore Irish sovereignty over its borders. The decision to opt into the EU migration pact by this Government or the previous Government was reckless. The idea that the Government is unable to determine the future cost in terms of fines is incredible. Ireland has unique challenges in sharing a border with a non-EU country. It is extraordinary that this has never been addressed in relation to this pact. When the E…

-----and the primary criteria in terms of GDP, which is incredibly------

-----inflated in this country.

I very much welcome the extension of this support to affected tenants of social housing. I have spoken to constituents in Mayo whose houses are in a shockingly bad state. Having engaged with the council, there really was nothing that could be done because they fell outside the previous scheme. The change is very welcome. There should be no difference in treatment between tenants in social homes and tenants in the private rental sector and, indeed, people who own their home, but it is fair to say there was a differe…

Carbon tax is regressive taxation. It punishes the poorest people in society. The people who are paying the most carbon tax and most fuel taxation are those in diesel and petrol cars, many of whom will never be able to afford solar panels or electric vehicles. Many are renters who will never have the opportunity to retrofit their homes. That is the truth. Carbon tax punishes the poorest people in society. I want to be clear. Five years ago, every party in this Chamber, with the exception of Aontú and a few good Ind…

----- this Chamber must be addressed. Introducing climate action legislation that contained legally binding targets was wrong and must be called out. The U-turn and the change in rhetoric are welcome. Over the past few weeks, I have done quite a bit of research on taxation on fuel that I want to put on the record of the House. I want to be honest and transparent with the people of Ireland in the weeks ahead because I have no doubt that the Government will make every effort to outline to sectors that it cannot affor…

I wish to speak on behalf of the residents and businesses in Newport who have endured the most horrendous situation, where untreated wastewater is being pumped into Clew Bay on a daily basis, yet despite this, the businesses of Newport continue to be billed for charges in relation to wastewater from Uisce Éireann. Many constituents have asked me how can the State demand payment for a service when the infrastructure underpinning that service is so incredibly inadequate. In fact, it is non-existent. If a farmer or an…

My question is a very simple one. It is not whether or not Uisce Éireann has the authority to issue bills but whether it is fair and proportionate. Does the Government believe it is fair to issue bills for wastewater services to a community that cannot avail of those services and which has been so badly treated in relation to the wastewater treatment plant? This is a community that has been given the runaround for far too long. I have worked on this tirelessly since getting elected in meeting MARA, Uisce Éireann an…

Will the Minister of State answer the question?

The question is on wastewater bills.

Will the Minister of State answer the question?

Postponing a bad decision does not make it a good one. Families do not need a stay of execution for six weeks. They need certainty. In rural Ireland, fuel is not a luxury; it is a staple. It brings families to work, children to school and elderly people to appointments. The price of fuel does not stop in terms of the cost at the pump. Every lorry delivering to a supermarket carries the price of diesel onto the shelves. That is what the Government is doing. It is driving the cost of inflation across this country. We…

What arrangements are in place for parents and parents' representative organisations to raise concerns directly with the Department regarding the national education curriculum and the provision of resources such as books, etc.? How frequently does the Minister meet with these organisations, stakeholders and parental bodies?

Confidence in our education system depends on quality resources but parents remain seriously concerned about inappropriate material that is being promoted in our schools, libraries, etc. Concerns have been raised in relation to the book What's the T? by Juno Dawson, which contains sexually explicit material and was promoted to children by Children's Books Ireland and RTÉ. It received significant publish backlash, and rightly so. It has been reported that a teacher raised concerns with the Department in an email bac…

Is the Minister aware of the controversy surrounding the What's the T? book by Juno Dawson? Is she aware that the book was promoted by Children's Books Ireland? That is very important. The idea that the Minister would say she is basically not responsible is, I believe, questionable. She is the Minister for education; the buck stops with her. For her to say she is not responsible is unacceptable, in my view. The Minister has such an enormous responsibility for the children of this country and if it is the case that …

Is the Minister aware of the What's the T? book?

I want to raise the case of a children's online safety company whose management is accused of defrauding at least 15 victims, across seven different countries, of more than €500,000. This is an Irish company and is based in Limerick. My constituent Aisling Waldron, a dedicated advocate of child safety, was hired to oversee child safety. She is owed over €72,000 in unpaid wages. She was recruited on the back of fabricated user numbers and, indeed, fabricated and falsified contracts from the Vatican Bank and the Port…