What everybody has said has been repetitive. Everyone is on the same page. I believe the Minister of State is also on the same page and would like to see what we can do. Can the Minister of State imagine if anyone in this House had to go hungry? We can walk out the door, go into a canteen and eat. Imagine he was here, looking at the food, while starving, knowing that his brothers, sisters, mother and father are dying around him. That is where the genocide comes into it. Nobody in this Chamber has been untouched by …

The Protection of Employees (Employers' Insolvency) (Amendment) Bill 2025 is a crucial piece of legislation. I will start off by looking at how Debenhams managed to pull the wool over the Government's and its employees' eyes, and leave this country with no accountability. It set up a UK sister company and set up online. All its online business was imported into this country through a UK company, which showed in the books of Debenhams that it was dropping and dropping. That was not only done by Debenhams. It was don…

Limerick is standing with Cork.

I will talk about widows' pensions. Pensions for widows do not discriminate by age. Recipients can be in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s or any age. However, it is worrying for people. I will tell one or two stories. One is about a mother with three children whose husband died. They had a house with a mortgage and she is in receipt of the widow's pension for which she said she is grateful. However, if she is on sick leave from work, even though she is a PAYE worker who pays PRSI, she does not get sick pay because she is i…

I thank the Taoiseach for his response and look forward to meeting with the Minister on this. I am under no illusions; there are many criteria under different payments the Government must consider under different circumstances. When it comes to people losing a loved one, however, and they are trying to survive, whether they have children, there are massive overheads, even with current inflation costs and the challenges facing people. It is something that should be legislated for. If we can, we should do everything …

People are dying younger than that.

If we ever have a case again where we have a design like the children's hospital, can the Government please not do it? Look at what we have done in Limerick: we built a box. People want boxes to be built because one can add onto a box or put a box down. They want care. Consider the cost of maintaining the children's hospital, with round curtains, round glass, and furnishings that have to be specially made. Given the cost of even trying to maintain an existing hospital, how many hospital beds could we provide for pe…

One could build boxes.

Accountability is at the very heart of this. The Minister is new to her role. She has hit the ground running, and I appreciate that. However, what has happened in Cappagh and Temple Street hospitals is unforgivable. There has to be accountability. We can look at it and nod our heads all day long, but at least now we are going in the right direction. There will be no more hiding for anyone. My first speech in the Dáil was about the management in University Hospital Limerick, and it has finally changed. They have a b…

Independent Ireland brought this motion before the House in order for the Government to see common sense. Independent Ireland recently received the chairmanship of the Committee on Budgetary Oversight. The first thing the committee will look at is the cost of healthcare in this country and the value it gives for money, including the overspends. We will not discuss the national children's hospital because it is an open book, and a waste of funding. We look at the carers in this country and the fact that the Governme…

Every day we come to the House, we are hear about housing, housing, housing. During the week, the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, released a report on the inspections of septic tanks by local authorities. Areas were targeted where septic tanks were near rivers. The councils completed 1,390 inspections of tanks and found that 82% of the tanks were inadequate. We are talking about meeting housing targets. What the EPA has not done is look at the treatment systems going straight into rivers, which we have been l…

A lot of them.

In the first part of his remarks, the Taoiseach said he had met with representatives of Irish Water. Maybe he needs to bring me with him to teach them a bit of common sense and give them some ideas and solutions. The Taoiseach mentioned the EPA and septic tanks. Yes, there are grants but the problem with the grant system for septic tanks is that in 2013 the Taoiseach brought in a system where people got €5,000.

In 2013, there was a system whereby people got €5,000 to upgrade their septic tanks. They registered their tanks and if they qualified for the grant due to their tanks being defunct, they received the grant. The problem was that nobody qualified for the grant because the tank had to be tested first and only a small number of people got them tested. Now the grant is up to €12,000. There is a mapping system now, and three quarters of people do not qualify for that grant either. There are grants available for defunct …

We have had tanks in Oola for 15 years. Askeaton has been waiting 46 years for its treatment system to be upgraded. This is what I am talking about.

I am offering help. I will meet Uisce Éireann representatives along with the Taoiseach and we will ask them how we can improve the system.

It has been waiting for 46 years for a sewerage system.

It can be done by separating the water. I said I would help.

The maximum age for Bus Éireann bus drivers is 70. At the moment, our children cannot get to school because private operators with contracts with Bus Éireann cannot take them to school if their drivers are over 70. However, these drivers, even if they are over 70, can be called by the school to take children to a tour of the Dáil. The same bus driver who cannot take our children to school can take them anywhere in the country, but Bus Éireann will not allow that driver take those children to school under its contra…

I welcome biodiversity but I also welcome biodiversity in the right areas and places. I also welcome safety on roads. On biodiversity, the laws that have been passed in this country never took into account people travelling. This is where I have a major issue with some of the laws on wildlife and biodiversity: as regards safety of lives. Roads where two vehicles could once travel are now closing in because of laws made by the local authorities. When they go to do a road, they cut 2 m high and 1 m in. They close the…