I was contacted by a woman whose husband has multiple myeloma. It is a type of blood cancer, and it develops in the plasma cells. She stated that her husband is cold throughout the whole winter. He needs help with the either fuel allowance, which he does not get, or lower fuel prices. Another man contacted me and said that they need two cars to get to work. They have to commute huge distances in extreme traffic every day. His wife is considering staying at home to save the costs on the cars and childcare. They have…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an gnó Comhaltaí Príobháideacha seo ó Independent Ireland inniu. A bill was presented to me this week by an 89-year-old woman who is a constituent in my county. She paid €860 for less than half a tank of home heating oil for her house. That is the equivalent of about three weeks' income for her. The amount of oil she bought is unlikely to do her until the other side of Christmas. That is an incredible price for any elderly individual living on their own to have to pay just for a staple good. Tha…

It has been reported to me by a worker in the national children's hospital that there are major problems with 400 bathrooms in the new hospital in terms of the insulation that was used. I have been told there will be massive delays while the defective bathrooms are being fixed and this will cost the taxpayer dearly. As we know, portions of the insulation used previously at the hospital were similar to those involved in the fatal 2017 Grenfell Tower fire. Another worker has told me the ventilation system in the hosp…

Will the Minister come back to me with specific details?

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to provide for the withdrawal of the State from European Union legislative measures comprised in the Migration and Asylum Pact of the European Union; and to provide for related matters. Six years ago, we in Aontú, called for a proper debate on the issue of immigration. We were the first party to do so in this House. We said very clearly that if there is not a debate that the issue will not go away. It will be pushed underground. It will be used by ne…

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

This Bill is a three-card trick. It is dressed up as an effort to help people with disabilities and special needs but it is little more than a press statement in the form of legislation. It costs very little to produce and draft a Bill, but there is a cost to providing services and to providing the professionals needed to be able to deliver those services. The assessment of need system is under enormous strain. More than 20,000 assessments are overdue and more than 90% of children are not receiving an assessment of…

Before I start, I want to mention two young people who have been killed on the roads in Meath in the past few months. Mia Lily Keogh O'Keeffe was a wonderful young girl. In her short life, she brought enormous happiness and love to her friends and family. She was gifted, creative and engaging with all who knew her. Her life was stolen from her. She was struck while walking her dog on a pedestrian crossing in Navan in February. The driver fled the scene. TJ McDonnell, from Bohermeen, County Meath, was killed just a …

There is a growing number of people who support full Irish independence. Polls show that the majority in this State believe that the people who live on the island of Ireland should make decisions over what happens on the island of Ireland. Brexit has shown that London neither cares nor knows much about the North of Ireland. Irish independence and Irish self-determination are in touching distance of this generation. The North was purposely designed with an inbuilt two-thirds unionist majority to safeguard British ru…

-----with his Government partners and also with his own party. Indeed, Fianna Fáil supporters came into our Aontú tent at the ploughing yesterday and stated that they were angry and frustrated with the fact that Micheál Martin is gutting such a core value of Fianna Fáil. The Taoiseach has given many excuses as to why not to proceed with a unity campaign. At one stage he said that we have to have reconciliation first before it should be considered. What evidence has the Taoiseach got that reconciliation is more like…

That is not correct.

Go raibh maith agat. The Taoiseach often strategically tries to make this debate one between him and Sinn Féin. I think he tries to do that to narrow the appeal of the issue. However, all the parties on this side of the Chamber support Irish unity.

Here is the key issue. At the heart of the Good Friday Agreement is the idea the people of the North of Ireland would determine their future. Right now they have no idea how that can happen. The secretary of state for the North of Ireland recently said that this was an obscure mechanism and that he would not put detail in relation to how that mechanism can be exercised. Why is it that people who have the right to vote are being denied the understanding of what makes that vote likely to happen? Why is it that the Ta…

Will he raise it with Andy Burnham?

That is 25 years in the making.

Not much has changed.

Patients are still likely to go to Galway.

Will the Taoiseach ask Andy Burnham?

I have asked him twice and he will not answer.

Why will he not answer the question?