The Tánaiste needs to get out of his bubble. It is no wonder he is going down in the polls. Seriously.

I too want to be associated with the words about Brigid McGlynn and thank her for her many years of service to this House and to all who served here. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are presiding over a serious immediate crisis in cancer care. Of the 23 radiotherapy machines in our health system, 80% require immediate replacement. There is no structure for planned replacement in place. These are life-saving machines that are breaking down frequently. They need constant maintenance and new parts. The health committee hear…

That will not take effect until January.

The Government took away the energy credits.

That is why arrears are up.

Get out of your bubble. Get out of your bubble.

It is not.

It is additional money.

The Taoiseach does not have a clue.

He did not even think the Government had it last week.

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have failed rural Ireland. Along with Independents, they pay lip service to these communities but turn their back on them time and again. That is the reality. There is a real anger out there that has been simmering below the surface. It is an anger that boiled up when the Government abandoned people in the face of the fuel crisis. When people screamed out for help, it turned a deaf ear. However, this did not start this month or even this year. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have been chipping a…

An tseachtain seo, den dara huair ó mhí an Mhárta, d'impigh an Coimisiún Eorpach ar bhallstáit céimeanna a chur i bhfeidhm chun an brú ó phraghsanna leictreachais a laghdú. Tá an Rialtas go fóill ag diúltú rud ar bith a dhéanamh chun cuidiú le gnáthdhaoine atá thíos le billí leictreachais iontach mór. Le bheith fírinneach faoi, tá an Rialtas ag déanamh rudaí níos measa tríd an gcreidmheas fuinnimh a bhaint díreach nuair a bhí siad ag teastáil ó dhaoine go mór. Beidh daoine anois ag cur na ceiste simplí seo, má tá a…

The Tánaiste is still not listening. He is trying to spin it, and he can try to spin it whatever way he wants, but people, in their real, lived experiences, know where they are at. They see prices going up. They see the prices of electricity, fuel, home heating oil and groceries going up. They see all of that. They see a Government that is talking about surpluses - billions of euro more than were expected - and refusing to act. The Government does not need the European Commission’s approval to introduce energy cred…

What we saw on "RTÉ Investigates" last night was absolutely shocking. It went to the heart of any parent out there. Children in the care of the State are being placed in really dangerous and wholly inappropriate settings. We are talking about unregulated emergency arrangements with no proper oversight where children are exposed to violence and trauma that will stay with them for the rest of their life. Young people are leaving care into homelessness. It is appalling and it is absolutely shameful. These are children…

Hear, hear.

Hear, hear.

Next year.

Obviously, the priority questions were submitted before the announcements last week, which the Government was forced to make by people pressure and by parties in opposition like Sinn Féin, but we know that half measures do not cut it. Still we see so many people, particularly hauliers, who are locked out of the rebate scheme. There are reasons for this, such as if they are transporting livestock, their own product or if they do not have a haulage licence. There is a serious issue with cash flow. I have argued time …

The Tánaiste is missing the point here.

I do not know if he is doing it deliberately or not. If you cut excise duty directly at the pump, it benefits the hauliers, transport operators and bus companies that need that measure for cash flow, but it also benefits everybody else. It benefits carers, nurses, doctors, teachers, street cleaners and everybody else in society. That is what should be happening here. That is the best way to cut costs for the hauliers, who would then not have to wait three months and deal with more paperwork and red tape as they fil…