Independent Ireland has looked for the means test to be abolished. It is not about the means test; it is about care. If we are practical about it, an awful lot of people could be outside the threshold because they may have been left something by a loved one or their partner might be working two jobs to try to put food on the table and it puts them outside the means test threshold. If we look at areas where we have no home help and where we cannot get care for people in this country, the Government has put an obstac…

On 1 May, I asked a parliamentary question about the cause of the high volume of refunds in employment permit applications, which was resulting in delays. People are able to get permits, on the one hand, from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment but, on the other side, at the Department of justice, there are delays for visas. The left hand is doing one thing and the right hand is doing another and we have massive delays for critical workers. Can we not ensure one side talks to the other and streamline…

I am delighted to welcome the Ryder Cup to Ireland and that it will be in Limerick, the real capital of Ireland, as I call it. We now have a world-class golf tournament in Ireland. I have to thank the McManus family for what they have done not only for Limerick but the rest of the country and for what they have invested in this country and in Adare, County Limerick. I am delighted for the people of Adare that it will host the Ryder Cup. I am also thankful for what the McManus family has done for sports in Ireland. …

I met a man during the week who married a woman from County Tipperary. This is actually laughable. When the woman he married moved from County Tipperary to County Limerick, and went to renew her car insurance premium with the same company she has been insured with for the past 20 years, they charged her €179 more because she had moved to County Limerick. Even though the same person is driving the same car, she is being charged more because she got married and moved to County Limerick. When we tried to find out the …

I am going to give the Minister the answer today to solving a lot of the problems. I am in business all my life, so I treat politics like business - delivery on budget and on time. We are talking today about homelessness and child poverty. The overspend on the children's hospital is €853 million. I am the Chairperson of the Committee on Budgetary Oversight. We will have the Minister, Deputy Chambers, and the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, before us today. All I hear from the committee, which has been looking at the budg…

Value for money.

Read your history, Minister.

What about the overspend, Minister?

It is a waste of money.

Recently, we were told that 20 new gardaí are being appointed into Limerick city, where they are much needed. How many can the Minister give me in the county as well? County Limerick is a big place, with 40 square miles per Garda station. There is Bruff Garda station and a new Garda station at Newcastle West. When the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, talks about recruits, he says that 200 are going in and 200 will come out. According to the last statistic before he became Minister, we had 400 going in and only 145 or …

Last Saturday, we were at the Holy Family school in Charleville for a fundraiser where up to 100 motorbikes came out. They do so year after year to raise funds for additional resources for the school. There is a shortfall year on year and resources are raised. Money from last year went in for part of a playground for the children in that school. Looking around the country, vintage clubs and different people from various sectors come out to raise funds. We were at the Rathkeale men's shed on Sunday. There is not a w…

I would like the Minister of State's full attention for this. This is not a laughing matter, I am afraid. Crecora Mills installed a 400 kW solar farm in July 2023. It produces 20% of the power to run the mill. The company applied to the ESB to sell the excess power to the grid at that time. It took the ESB two years to process the application and it is looking for €3.8 million from Crecora Mills to upgrade the substation in west Limerick in order to allow the company to sell its clean energy to the grid. We are tal…

My question concerns the health implications of wind farms. My journey regarding the health implications of wind farms started in Coolcappa over two years ago. Recently we had meetings in Bruff, Dromin, Athlacca and Bruree about wind turbines and how local authorities have no input into wind turbines. They are now considered to be strategic infrastructure, which means they go straight to An Bord Pleanála. There is an influx of applications for wind farms across the country. Wind energy guidelines were produced in 2…

In the interim, there is an influx of wind turbines. In Europe, Eamon Ryan signed up to 16,000 wind turbines going inland. DMAPs were delayed for five years so we could not look at offshore and they are talking about renewable energy. We are talking about health implications. Do Members know that when wind turbines are turned off, the wind energy company gets more money through funds from Government than it receives when the turbines are turned on per the contracts they have? When the turbines are off, the company …

63% are owned by China.

We are not getting it.

So it is not our energy.

Offshore.

With all due respect it has been 20 years, Tánaiste.

When?