For years, Aontú has been in this Chamber arguing about the fact that Ireland has the slowest planning, procurement, licensing, tendering and judicial review processes in the whole of Europe. This housing crisis has dragged on for nearly ten years at this stage. One of the main contributing factors has been that what the Government controlled was absolutely dysfunctional and was not working. We were singular in making that critique of the Government. The Central Bank today issued a report which confirms the concern…

Ireland has had a proud history of neutrality for many long years. A record built on our own peace process, the missionaries who helped build hospitals and schools around the world, our role as a UN peacekeeping country, our campaign for nuclear non-proliferation, and our support for decolonisation across the world gives us, internationally, a recognised reputation as an honest broker. That is very hard to achieve and it is also a very unique reputation. Our history of neutrality goes back many years, as has been m…

I thought I had more time than that, but I bow to the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta faoi sin. The cyberattack is another example. In the year the country suffered a cyberattack on our health service, the press department of the Department of the Taoiseach received more funding than the National Cyber Security Centre. That led to €100 million in costs and many people's healthcare services being significantly disrupted. The triple lock is part of the Nice II referendum. Every house in the country had a leaflet put in their door. If this Government wants to change the…

I also wish Senan Molony well and thank him for the important work he has done over the decades. Half a million families are in energy arrears. Nearly a third of the population cannot afford a staple of life, namely, energy. That is astounding in one of the richest countries in the world. The Government is one of the main drivers of fuel inflation. Over 50% of the price of a litre of petrol or diesel is made up of tax. The Government is tax-gouging the people of Ireland. For seven years, we in Aontú have said that …

Lonely Planet said recently that-----

Lonely Planet. It did a review of Dublin and stated, "Once Dublin’s grand boulevard, O'Connell St has struggled with decline". It stated that vacant buildings, derelict upper floors and long-stalled redevelopments leave this part looking neglected while retail has shifted elsewhere and been replaced by fast food shops that dilute its character. Moore Street, right beside it, was promised to be redeveloped by 2016, and here we are ten years later. It is a site of drinking, drug-taking, urination and defecation. It i…

Will the Government buy Moore Street-----

The Irish people are a generous and decent people and have been over the past number of years, with the provision of supports to people from Ukraine who are fleeing the war. This is right and just. The war unleashed on Ukraine is absolutely wrong. Aontú will support the reduction in the rate of payment under the scheme. The scheme that was created was uneven, unfair and discriminatory for those seeking accommodation or housing. It created a two-tier support system, which is unfair. This two-tier support system has …

It has rained for 77 days across Ireland so far this year. At the start of the year, there were 54 consecutive days of rain. We have been blessed with a couple of weeks of fine weather, but already we have a six-week hosepipe ban in a number of counties. There are towns and villages in my county that have not had a proper water supply for weeks. Uisce Éireann is spending €250,000 a year to tanker water to Ballivor. The local school had to close as a result of not having a supply of water. Uisce Éireann was fined €2…

Uisce Éireann-----

I, too, want to commend many of the victims and survivors of Bill Kenneally, some of whom are joining us in the Gallery today. In any situation, it takes incredible bravery and courage to be able to come forward and tell your story, and more so when many of the organs of the State ignore you, do not listen to you and in some cases undermine you as well. These victims and survivors have not only taken on an evil predictor, but they have also taken on many of the powers of the State. We are also thinking today of the…

In the past couple of years there has been a collapse of many forms of media in this country. The reason for this has been that the authors of content are not getting paid for their material. It is not that no one is getting paid for the material; there is a cohort of individuals who are getting paid, but they are the people who are creating the content. Journalism is an example. It is a key pillar of a functional democracy but it is dying on its feet because social media is taking the creative content and selling …

A total of 2,119 pubs have closed since 2005, and another 1,000 pubs are currently at risk. It is estimated that 100 local shops close every year in Ireland, which means two shops are shut on a weekly basis. In the past decade, 257 post offices have closed; that is one post office closing every fortnight for ten years. Some 139 Garda stations were closed 13 years ago, and if you put it over a stretch in time, that is equal to one Garda station closing every month. Indeed, there are 53 Garda stations with no garda a…

What is the Minister doing as regards information and stats to be able to develop rural Ireland?

He did.

The Minister can go ahead and I will come back in.

A part of that question focuses on the development in the Gaeltacht areas. Obviously, the Gaeltacht is the well of the Irish language. The Gaeltacht is currently at such a level where it is at the edge of continuance. This could be the last generation with the Irish language as a community language within the Gaeltacht. One of the big elements of the Gaeltacht has obviously been the ability to raise families in the Irish language. Housing is a very important element of that and there are significant campaigns curre…

To illustrate the idea, if there are ten people in a bar in the Gaeltacht and one is an English speaker, there is a tendency for the other nine to default to English to make sure that the English speaker is not left out of the conversation. One of the big threats in Gaeltacht areas is often high numbers of English speakers. Once it gets past a certain threshold, it significantly changes the language in that local area. It should be a prime objective of the Government to create a strong, vibrant, Irish-speaking area…

There has been a big increase in the numbers of deaths and serious injuries caused by the use and misuse of e-scooters. E-scooters are now the biggest cause of traumatic brain injuries among children. Children are being killed and gardaí working in the area have been injured. CHI has reported that six children have been admitted to intensive care in Temple Street with traumatic brain injuries, following accidents involving e-scooters in just two weeks. What steps is the Government taking to prevent these injuries a…