In the little time I have left after the previous speaker, I make the point in the context of the television licence that the national broadcaster is supposed to broadcast everything in Ireland, not just the Government show. The Government show is all it seems to broadcast now. In the deal involving taxpayers' money the Government gave to fund RTÉ and stop it from closing, how much air time does the Government get? The Minister should tell the people the truth. How much air time does it get? Why is it that the like…

Will the Minister outline what impact the proposed speed limit reductions will have on transport networks, including goods and bus networks?

We wanted clarification from the Minister of State on that because what we heard was, fail to prepare, prepare to fail. It was shown that a blanket ban was to apply to the transport networks. The message going out around the country was that there was going to be a blanket ban. That would have required increasing the number of buses and trucks on the roads because buses and trucks would not meet their targets. Truck drivers are subject to the DigiCar system and are only allowed to drive so many hours a day. I agree…

In towns and villages that do not have policing services, many complaints are made about speeding. Even where speed indicators are installed, they do not work. What is the view of the Minister of State on having speed ramps in towns and villages that do not have a policing presence? In many towns and villages where these have been introduced, they are working. They are slowing the traffic down in the streets. They are having an impact. They do not need to be monitored because people slow down when they hit a speed …

There is no policing.

Do you agree with me on speed ramps?

I acknowledge what Deputy Gino Kenny is doing here. While I agree with parts of it, I cannot support the Bill as it stands. Medicinal cannabis can be used in certain circumstances. I would like to see it made available to people who are suffering from chronic pain and to provide relief for those receiving cancer treatments. I would like this to be done through doctors prescribing it to people, including the terminally ill, to give them a quality of life. I would like to see it coming through the medical profession …

I welcome the Bill. There is a lot done in the Bill and a lot more to do. Not everyone goes to third level education. It is great to see that even in this House. I never got to third level education but it did not stop me from talking or representing people. No matter what education someone has, it is good and I believe it has brought a lot of common sense to this Dáil. I am glad the Minister has introduced many of the points I have brought up relating to apprenticeship models through different sectors and in colle…

I have worked with the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, to help people fleeing war - women and children - into our areas, communities and schools. They now work in our areas. I commend everything that has been done and the communities that welcomed them into their houses. They are all integrated into our area. They play sports and are involved in community games. What has been done is brilliant but the Government wanted to bring 251 people into an old school in Limerick. It was going to bring them into 19 classrooms and …

Ireland has always boxed well above its weight internationally. Ireland is a broker of peace. We see Israel and talk about legalities, and legal this and legal that. What it is doing is absolutely horrendous. There are young children, mothers, males and females, and bombings going on. We talk about how we will be able to do something soon, but by the time it is done they will have a race wiped out by killing men, women and children. The children and people who survive this are then in hospitals with no medicines be…

The Taoiseach and I spoke recently about the minimum wage increase. At the time, he said to me that, on the one hand, I was welcoming the wage increase, which I do, but that I also wanted protection for businesses that will be impacted by the wage increase and had asked what the Government could do to counteract it. The issue has now come to the fore, given the Taoiseach has, I believe, received a letter from IBEC outlining its concerns about the additional costs his Government has set out. The letter highlights sp…

Most of the businesses that are closing are SMEs: small, local and medium enterprises. They are not international businesses. They are small, local enterprise businesses. What the Government could have done in the interim, which would have had an immediate effect, was to have reduced VAT back to 9% across the board. It was brought in for the interim before. It worked and it could work now until we find a solution. I am a father and a grandfather. I listened to a man recently, as I have listened to many parents rece…

It worked.

They are not coming home.

When we find out how many are leaving this year, we will see it is much more.

Nearly 100,000 Palestinians have been killed, reported missing or wounded in Gaza since Israel began its military operation three months ago. Among that number are 25,000 people who have been confirmed dead, two thirds of whom are women and children. Eighty-five percent of the population has been displaced. The healthcare system has collapsed, and operations like amputations and Caesarean sections are being performed without anaesthetic or any form of pain relief. What has this world come to? A ceasefire is needed.…

With all due respect to the Minister of State, it was the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, whom I wanted to have in front of me. I refer to some of the comments he made in his introduction when he started talking about the Land Development Agency, LDA. Much of what he was talking about is a crock of bull. I hate to put it that way, but it is. The LDA was set up to deal with infrastructure within 15 minutes of cities. This is what the Government set it up to do. In my area, this brings in Patrickswell, Adare, Croom, Ballyn…

I welcome the work that has been done on the Bill. More work can be done on it but it is heading in the right direction. Many means-tested applications take maintenance payments into account. For example, medical card applications require maintenance payments to be included for the means test. How many people have been denied medical cards due to maintenance payments bringing them over the threshold, even though that maintenance is for the children and young adults dependent on it? Legal aid costs of divorce in Ire…

I got a note when I came into the House this evening from a man who said he has five sites in County Limerick with full planning permission. He has offered them to Limerick City and County Council numerous times but has heard nothing back. The Minister has stated councils are fully funded to facilitate the purchase of houses made available for social and affordable homes. The person to whom I refer is willing to build the houses if the council wants him to do so and give them back to the council at an agreed price …

No one in this country has an issue with fossil fuels transitioning out but the part we have to look at is transition and supports for doing so. They are not there. There are no supports. If you look at the energy situation here, people have put up solar panels on their houses, which is great, but the infrastructure cannot take more than 6 kW even though a person could provide 20 kW from their house and they may only use 12 kW to 16 kW. It can be up to 16 kW with underfloor heating. The grid cannot take it. Infrast…