Okay.

You asked me not to mention the person's name.

I will not withdraw what I have said. I will stand over it for the protection of the people of Limerick, north Kerry, north Tipperary and Clare. I have asked the Minister for help. I understand where he is coming from - I really do - but I have to protect the people of Limerick and the surrounding areas who have asked me to protect them. Under fire safety alone, the fire certificate is invalid for the number of people in that hospital and the Minister is asking me to withdraw my comments. I will not.

Losing his or her life.

A total of 35,000 homes are being held up in the planning system due to delays in An Bord Pleanála. There is total disarray in An Bord Pleanála. Only four people are on the board and it seems they are unable to make decisions regarding strategic housing developments, SHDs. I have concerns about planning delays. An Bord Pleanála should have a high-level screening programme before objections get to the inspector to be judged by the board. However, I also have concerns about this Bill and the way it has been rushed th…

I agree with the Deputy.

On Housing for All, let us talk about Limerick. The LDA was set up in 2018. How many houses were built in Limerick since then? I cannot hear the Minister for Finance. None, is it? That is right; no houses were built in Limerick. Very good. After investing €1.2 billion in the LDA, not one house was built in Limerick, but the members of the Government, including the Minister for Finance, the Minister for Transport and Deputy McAuliffe, who have spoken are from Dublin. That is the problem, when we are talking about ru…

This Bill is required so that spending that happened in 2022 is sanctioned and legislated for, and so the spending in 2023 can happen. I am very concerned that there has been a huge amount of money, €673 million, not spent this year and similar last year. Can the Minister, Deputy McGrath, honestly look in the faces of the people at the moment and tell them that €673 million was not spent this year and similar last year? These are the people who are going cold, the people who are going hungry, the people who have no…

It is what the Government is doing. It is hypocritical. The Government is opening up the Dáil on Saturday for a change of Taoiseach from Tánaiste and the other way around. It could be done during the week. Anyone here would have accommodated it during the week. Even if it was late at night or early in the morning we would accommodate it. The Government is sending people home from here on Thursday and then bringing them back up on Saturday, when there are so many people around this country waiting for us to help the…

I am pleased to see that the Minister and the Minister of State are here. I thank them for staying on. I am calling this evening for an investigation into the non-reporting of incidents at University Hospital Limerick, UHL, despite calls continually being made to stop the practice. Staff are unable to put incidents on Q-Pulse because this immediately triggers a response from management as to the origin of the incident, instead of it being dealt with in a proper and professional manner as it is supposed to be done. …

Last night we debated an important Bill on patient safety. How can we have a good hospital system if the HSE investigates itself? Why can we not have an independent body to investigate serious complaints against hospitals like University Hospital Limerick? Some 70 health professionals - the Tánaiste is also a health professional - came forward on Q-Pulse to report incidents. Some 140 incidents related to one medical practitioner, yet none of them has been investigated. When they are investigated, it is by the HSE, …

There are HSE members on it.

They are made up by HSE bodies.

This Bill is being rushed through. I have no doubt but that it will go through the House and proceed to Committee Stage, where there will be amendments. Deputy Nolan said and I repeat that Independent Senator Boyhan put down nine amendments, all of which were ruled out of order. The Government is not listening to the people on the ground who know what they are talking about. It is estimated that approximately a massive 45% of treated water is lost nationally due to leakages. Can the Minister of State imagine that? …

Hear, hear.

I offer my condolences to the Minister of State and his family on the death of his uncle, Michael, who was a former Deputy. I worked with his son, James, on the council. Teacher recruitment in key areas like Irish, maths, home economics and French is difficult in most second level schools. Most secondary schools have vacancies, according to a survey of principals. A TUI poll of almost 100 principals and deputy principals found that 91% had experienced difficulty in hiring qualified teachers in the past six months. …

I hope the media are listening to this. I would like the people of Ireland to know what happens following a serious incident or death in a HSE hospital. If someone is unfortunate enough to be injured or if a loved one is injured or, worse, dies under the care of a HSE hospital, this is what happens afterwards. I ask the Minister to give me his attention. A member of staff who has witnessed the incident is supposed to electronically record it locally in the hospital through a system called Q-Pulse. A line manager is…

I will. The Medical Council then seeks a so-called external expert investigation. This expert is usually a past or present HSE employee. If a serious concern is brought to the national patient safety office in the Department of Health, a past or present member of the HSE is working there and the Minister for Health is the head of the service. The same Minister appoints certain members of the Medical Council. How can this system be fair and just? Where is the natural justice? The HSE investigates itself and has its …

Research is telling us that 61% of 16-year-olds in Ireland have placed a bet. The Oireachtas justice committee's report on gambling has warned that 3,400 young people under the age of 18 have a problem with gambling. We all know how dangerous gambling is. We can see how, with the touch of a button, people can now gamble 24-7. I am a big supporter of the horse industry and the greyhound industry. If you go for a day out to horse racing or a night out to greyhound racing, you will go to the bookies who are there on t…

I also support the greyhound and horse racing industry. I come from a greyhound family and I grew up with greyhounds. In our house we had up to 26 greyhounds and they were better treated than I was myself, because if they were not walked and fed then I did not get fed. That was how much passion my father and family had for the greyhound industry. I was disappointed to see that the last time people were having a go at the greyhound industry, they said they brought a greyhound here to the front of Leinster House. It …