I sat in on the launch of the retrofit programme with the Minister before it was announced. Many people were there and we discussed many of the different aspects of retrofitting. I have been involved in construction my whole life. I know nothing but construction, bar politics. I want to deal with the here and now. During Leaders' Questions yesterday, I asked the Taoiseach why the cost of a barrel of oil, which was $162 in 2008 and we were paying €1.30 for a litre of petrol and €1.42 for a litre of diesel, while the…

We have heard again that a person must give 24 hours' notice to get public transport. The Minister of State came to County Limerick to visit St. Joseph's Foundation in my parish. She was within a mile of my house but did not even notify me that she was coming. She did not give notice to the political representatives and those in the locality who had fundraised for the unit; she came for a picture and off she went again on her route. We have seen people with disabilities. I have a mobile office on the road at home t…

Maybe she is playing political games and is caught up in her position-----

Now she is interrupting me-----

She is not even extending common courtesy to me when she does not have the floor. I have the floor. I have described the way in which the Minister of State works, and that is fine-----

I am trying to give her a small bit of praise but she cannot even take that. The Government let down St. Gabriel's during Covid. I opened a room in my office to assist with disability services when the Government ran to the hills. Now those affected have a place in which the Government is going to invest but it would not have invested unless the likes of Deputies had reached out to help people with disabilities in their areas. The Government jumps in when it is shown up. Thank God for social media because it now sh…

The Government blames oil prices for the energy crisis. The facts do not support the Government's argument that the hike in the price of the barrel of oil is the main cause of skyrocketing petrol, diesel and home-heating costs. This argument is wrong and misleading and I will explain why. In 2008, the cost of a barrel of oil was $162, the cost of a litre of petrol was €1.30 and a litre of diesel was €1.42. Today, the cost of a barrel of oil is $93, which is 74% lower than in 2008, but the cost of a litre of petrol …

It is about the cost of a barrel of oil.

Yes.

I will give the Taoiseach some facts. He said not to worry about 2008. In 2008, we were paying €6.44 per gallon of diesel. In 2022, we are paying €7.46 per gallon. In 2008, the cost of a gallon of petrol was €5.90. In 2022, we are paying €7.89. The current price of a barrel of oil is $93. It was $162 back then. The Taoiseach spoke about retrofitting. Does he realise what retrofitting is? Since the announcement of the retrofitting scheme, the price of insulation has gone up by 17%. The Government has put in place a …

The Government has no money.

It has.

More tax is being charged.

More tax is being charged.

More tax is being charged.

We have to live, too. We have to live.

I welcome the Bill. I have a question for the Minister and would like a reply in writing if he does not mind. It relates to HSE employees past and present. I am very disturbed that within the HSE there is a Q-pulse system where staff can make complaints regarding wrongful practice. How many Q-pulse cases have not been acted on and closed out in the HSE? How many Q-pulse submissions have there been annually over the past ten years? What percentage required significant action? How many patients died or were significa…

In University Hospital Limerick, there were 86 patients on beds on 24 January; 97 patients on 25 January and 111 patients on 26 January. Where is Paul Reid? I know there are patients who are not discharged on time. They have not been met to be discharged. What is the cost to the insurance company? I want an audit done to see how many patients are in hospital in a private capacity. Patients are admitted for tests that can easily be done on a day care basis and they are in the hospital for four days. I also want the …

A review by HIQA is a review by the HSE. There is no such thing as an independent review of the HSE because it is the HSE auditing itself. This goes for every case that we have had in the High Court and everything; it is the HSE investigating itself. Therefore, that is not an independent review. These are people who are within the HSE sector and are paid by the Department. They are nominated by the Ministers to go on these reviews and they are investigating themselves. I am sorry, but that is not a review. The hosp…

The purpose of the CPCC is to make markets work better for consumers and businesses. I understand this legislation is to strengthen and to ensure the proper functioning of international markets. Two international markets are not working. Our pig industry is on its knees, and it will be lucky to survive in its present form. Surely the CPCC can step in to ensure the industry will survive. In France, across all food sectors, the origin of meat is visible to consumers. Why is it not in Ireland? People look for Irish pr…