I welcome the opportunity to speak. Ireland had its first official case of Covid in late February 2020. Almost 20 months later, we are still fighting this pandemic. Case numbers have rocketed in recent weeks. As we get closer to Christmas, many people and businesses are unsure of what is going to happen. Unfortunately, the message from the Government is not clear. To be honest, it is creating a situation where people are speculating on what is likely to happen next. We hear members of NPHET making statements daily …

I welcome the opportunity to speak. I offer my condolences to the families and friends of the four crew members who tragically lost their lives in March 2017 while trying to save the lives of others. This tragic accident claimed the lives of Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, Captain Mark Duffy, winch operator, Paul Ormsby, and winchman, Ciarán Smith. I acknowledge the comprehensive report produced by the Air Accident Investigation Unit, which operates independently in the Department of Transport. The publication of this re…

I welcome the opportunity to speak today. I raised the issue of electric scooters on Leaders' Questions recently. This issue is becoming more serious as more electric scooters are used on our footpaths and roads. At present, electric scooters are not regulated in Ireland, with no specific law covering their use. They are considered mechanically propelled vehicles which should mean if they are used in public places, the user must hold a licence and insurance. I welcome the introduction of this Bill today, which will…

The Department of Education has a budget of more than €2 billion to fund the costs of more than 14,000 special education teachers and 19,000 special needs assistants, SNAs, which supports a broad continuum of education for children. Scoil Naomh Cholmcille. Tullydonnell, Togher, Drogheda, County Louth, has applied for supports for three incoming children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, ASD, along with five other children in mainstream school, who have received a diagnosis during the period of lockdown,…

-----have problems with social, emotional and educational skills.

Could the Taoiseach please ask the Minister, Deputy Foley, if the Department could examine the situation as Scoil Naomh Cholmcille needs further resources?

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion, which I support. The Government should not transfer €500 million into the national surplus reserve fund in 2021. We are in a period of great crisis. Society, including the business community, has suffered great financial hardship because of Covid-19. Unfortunately, I fear we will feel the effects of this pandemic for a long time to come. In times like this, we need to invest in infrastructure and services. This is not a time for investing in rainy day funds. We inv…

Once again, I want to raise the issue of insurance, particularly the soaring cost of business insurance. It has been reported that insurance renewals have increased by 15% in the past year. In the hospitality sector, insurance has increased by an average of 10%. This is despite the fact this sector has been practically closed for the past 12 to 18 months. This is not on. The Alliance for Insurance Reform report published last week stated insurance costs had risen across the board by an average of 15%. This is despi…

On 12 December, Air Bound, a trampoline park in Dundalk, will close. The reason the park will close is that it cannot get insurance. It is not the owners' fault. Nobody wants to give them insurance. They want to pay for their insurance. They have been there for a number of years. What will I tell the parents contacting me who have autistic children and children with disabilities? Adults also use it. The trampoline park opened a couple of weeks ago for one adult. It made no money. This is not all about money. These …

I welcome the opportunity to speak. Generally speaking, the budget was welcomed by most people and businesses. In my speech on budget day I acknowledged the Government's efforts to improve the circumstances of the public and the business community during the pandemic. I wish to raise a number of items. There was no doubt but that when people read about the proposals in the budget they felt they would be financially better off. On the face of it, that is true, but when we look a little closer I fear that the opposit…

How many applicants for citizenship are currently waiting more than 12 months for a decision on their application? How many are currently waiting more than 24 months? My constituency office is overflowing with queries from such applicants. Applications are currently taking at least 23 months to be processed and there are more than 22,000 applicants awaiting a decision.

I thank the Minister for what was, in fairness, a good reply. However, the problem at the moment is that there seems to be a communication breakdown. When my staff contact the Department for an update on the situation, it is nearly impossible to get one. In fairness, it is the same people coming in every time. All they need is an update. To me, the only people making any kind of money out of it are the solicitors, because the applicants are going to solicitors and every time they do so, they are being charged fees.…

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. As I said, communication seems to be the biggest problem. I accept that if a one-stop shop was introduced, it would help everybody. Many of the applicants have been in the country for a long time and have children of their own. They are looking for clarity. The last thing they want is to hear a knock on the door and to be told to go to a station from where they could be deported. They have concerns. The Department must communicate with people and let them know exactly wh…

First, I wish to thank the Minister for her commitment to the future plans of Drogheda. In fairness, Drogheda needs a bit of help and I am glad the Government and the Minister made a commitment. A few months ago the Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, and Chief Superintendent Christy Mangan attended St. Nicholas Gaelic Football Cub's open day to show the amount of work the GAA does in the Drogheda area. Whether soccer, Gaelic football or rugby, sport plays a major part. The Garda Commissioner and the chief superintend…

Breast cancer awareness month is an opportunity for everyone to reflect on the impact of cancer, not only on our immediate lives but also on the wider general public. While researching in preparation for this debate, I was disappointed by our response to breast cancer during the Covid pandemic. The bottom line is we are now one year behind in the screening process. I shudder to think how many lives will be lost as a result. Breast cancer is the third most common cancer in Ireland, after skin and prostate cancer. Ea…

I very much welcome the opportunity to speak on this very important issue. I, along with my colleagues, will support the Bill and will support its progress on Second Stage today. Autism is not a health issue. It is a human rights issue. It is very clear that no clear strategy has been in place here since the European Commission approved the charter of rights for persons with autism in 1996. This charter was very clear and stated autistic people should have the same rights enjoyed by all EU citizens and that those r…

I very much welcome the opportunity to speak today. First of all, it is important to acknowledge the efforts the Government has made to improve the circumstances of both the people and businesses as we all attempt to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic. There are a number of things I would like to mention. I acknowledge the €1,500 increase in the rate bands, the increase of €50 in the tax credits and the increase in the minimum wage, although I strongly believe the minimum wage, now set at €10.50, is still well below…

Given the number of people who smoke and the numbers of cigarettes manufactured, does the Tánaiste, as a doctor, know what actually goes into these products? Do people understand how dangerous cigarettes are? It really annoys me that people can go anywhere at this time and find contraband products available. What is the difference between legal and illegal cigarettes? As a member of the health committee some years ago, when we asked people who appeared before us this question, nobody seemed to be able to tell us wh…

The defective concrete block grant scheme is not a national scheme. Why not? Why is it limited to counties Donegal and Mayo? Other counties, including County Louth, have dwellings that have been damaged due to the use of defective concrete blocks. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage tells me there is ongoing engagement with a number of local authorities and local action groups on requests for extension of the scheme to other counties. Fair play to Donegal and Mayo but we cannot split the countr…

I welcome the opportunity to speak today. I thank those responsible for the development of the new Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027. It is a comprehensive report and contains some good points and suggestions on how we tackle the ever-growing problems of youth crime. Unfortunately, those who get involved in crime are becoming younger and younger. It is worrying that crime is seen to be appealing to the younger generation. I firmly believe in taking the approach that prevention is always better than cure. I have said…