I am sorry, I have not used my two minutes because Deputy Michael Healy-Rae’s clock was not stopped. These are the same hypocrites.

Thank God for social media because every vote they have taken has been against the people of Ireland. They voted against rural Ireland every time.

With regard to mental health services in Limerick, if the Minister of State looks it up online, she will see that the Limerick CAMHS is open from 9.30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. Mental health issues do not stop at 5 p.m. or on a Friday evening. Where have the HSE and Government gone wrong on this? What have they done with the funding that should be coming into CAMHS and organisations such as Jigsaw to put the right people in place? Has all the money gone towards paying Paul Reid a salary of €420,000 or givin…

The Construction Industry Register Ireland is known as the CIRI. As a builder, I welcome this legislation and the assurance it will give to the consumer. However, if this is being introduced to avoid a mica or a pyrite scandal again, I have to question it as there was probably nothing unlawful done by the builders. It was a fault with products. Does this legislation cover the building products being purchased by builders in good faith and who are unaware that the recipe the manufacturer used was faulty? Limerick is…

We talk about going back to a normal leaving certificate exam this year but what is normal? We can look at the current cohort of leaving certificate pupils but for the past three years there has not been any kind of normal for them. Covid-19 affected three years of their education and now they are expected to go back to "normal". What is normal for them? They have never sat a State exam and they did not get to do their junior certificate exams because of Covid-19. They have been tutored on Zoom if they were lucky e…

I welcome the Bill that has been introduced by the Minister because there is at long last a voice for those who have gone unheard for decades - the voice of a mother or father trying to find a son or daughter and the voice of a child unable to discover his or her birth family, access health information or just get a birth certificate that is accurate. Within this legislation, there will be opportunities to share information, especially for adoptive parents seeking information that would explain something that they …

In the last 26 years, 244 women in Ireland have lost their lives to violence perpetrated by men. The question so many women are asking is, “How do I begin to feel safe again and how can other women in Ireland feel safe?” There has rightly been a chorus of calls for more action by the Government and the end of a culture of Departments saying it is not a matter for them. I am talking about the Department of Justice, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, the Department of Health and …

My question to the Minister is on the 18% of hotels that will be excluded from the scheme due to their turnover going over the 30% threshold. Some of these companies have earned 71% and 72% on projected turnovers. This stops them from entering the EWSS. These 11,000 jobs must be protected. These 11,000 employees will end up being on the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP. At least if these employees are on the scheme, their employer is still paying a PRSI contribution into the system. It will help keep 11,000 peopl…

Some 11,000 people could end up on the live register, which will cost money to the taxpayer anyway. If they are in employment, while there is a reduced PRSI contribution, their employer is still giving money back to the State. It does not cost the full amount to have somebody on a PUP payment. This keeps people employed. It keeps people within the sector that has been hit not only last Christmas, but now this Christmas. The Minister is interfering with their margins into next year. Not only are they down 28% or 29%…

I am pleased to have co-sponsored and to speak today in favour of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) (Foetal Pain Relief) Bill 2021. I strongly believe in the principles of this important legislation. It is rooted in caring principles of avoiding unnecessary pain and suffering. This Bill would ensure that pain relief medicine is provided to unborn babies in late-term abortion situations. This Bill should be judged on its specific merits and not as a replay of the 2018 abortion referendum. At presen…

The Bill will authorise in law all of the expenditure that has been undertaken in 2021 based on the Estimates that have been voted on by the Dáil during the year. The moneys that have been voted on are brought forward and made into law. I am sure that there are many wish lists at the end of year for all parties concerned. Housing, certainly is one for the first-time buyers, the trader-uppers and the downsizers, and social housing and the homeless are paramount for the years ahead. Another wish list would be for acc…

The wage subsidy scheme has helped every other business to go through a very hard time. However, I have been on to the Minister's office more than once about the 18% of the hotel industry that does not qualify under the scheme because they cannot register before 31 December. That means they have over 70% of their earnings compared to the 2019 accounts. The hotel industry has not only lost November and December but its worst months are January and February. That means they have lost four months. What they needed to …

I want the Government representatives who are going to Europe to highlight the emergency situation that our farmers are facing in respect of fertiliser. Fertiliser currently costs in excess of €900 per tonne. Most outlets are refusing to even quote prices for it. I know of one farmer whose costs went up by 54% this year. At a time when farm prices had begun to increase, they are now being fully eroded by the fuel and fertiliser cost. Russia is easily supplying the world with gas, which is used to make fertiliser. T…

The recent rental sector survey report for 2020 by the Residential Tenancies Board found that affordability is a significant issue for tenants More than half of the surveyed tenants are spending more than 30% of their income on rent and 64% of those are in Dublin. Needless to say, I support anyone who is at risk of homelessness following an eviction notice. We need to try to prevent their entry into emergency accommodation. Rights of tenants are not fully addressed in legislation. A tenant is left very vulnerable w…

My office was contacted last week by the Individual Farmers of Ireland group, Irish truckers and hauliers, SMEs, taxi drivers and front-line workers over the fuel increase since 2020, which the Government has failed to tackle. The Government has taxed every person in Ireland €10.88 on every €100. These groups told me they are going to protest. The farmers' group is coming on Sunday and the truckers and hauliers are coming on Monday. They are not protesting for themselves only. They will be joined by SMEs and everyb…

The Tánaiste's answer to the fuel costs is that he is okay with a 19 cent increase. I did not say the Government did not need the tax. The Government had 81 cent in 2020; it now has a euro. This relates to an increase in the price of fuel over which it has control. The Tánaiste talks about giving money to people who are vulnerable but it does not even make a difference to them because the prices have gone through the roof. They have gone out of control. Food costs have gone up in this country because of inflation. …

Diesel and petrol.

Nineteen cent.

Ireland has a very ambitious plan when it comes to cutting emissions, especially in the electricity sector for which a target of 80% is planned. I find that difficult to understand, particularly as demand is set to increase with upcoming demand from data centres, an increase in population and demand for power points to service electric cars. Offshore renewable energy has the answer and all the power generated at sea will be a resource for the economy. The development of power grids that facilitate the connection of…

To say I am disappointed that the Taoiseach would say today that there was no time for pre-legislative scrutiny would be an understatement. Every Deputy who has spoken has expressed the same view. I will only go through one or two points because other Deputies wish to speak. At no time have I ever not taken public health advice, but I have given advice to people who had concerns about being vaccinated. I have always told them that if they have concerns, they should seek medical advice from their doctors. At no time…