We are the only country in Europe that does not have Euro 6 engines.

The Euro 6 engine.

We are the only country in Europe that does not have it.

I thank Deputy Harkin and the Independent Group for introducing this Bill. The credit unions are professionally managed by qualified staff. I am a credit union member and was a director of a credit union, which was a voluntary position. I could see at first hand the work being done within credit unions for the communities surrounding them. In the past, we were very much dwarfed by the giants in the sector - AIB, Bank of Ireland, KBC and Ulster Bank - but the credit unions are the only ones standing by the people no…

I went through the report from the Taoiseach on the European Council meeting in detail and I saw nothing on the escalating cost for hauliers in this country. The week before the European Council meeting, I spoke in the Dáil to stress the urgency of the escalating cost of fuel for hauliers. Having met representatives of the hauliers' association, I again ask why the Government has not introduced a proper fuel rebate scheme for diesel as it is the only means for getting our produce to the export market and around Ire…

The Bill builds on the commitment of the Government to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. It includes several measures to tackle climate change and reduce Ireland's overall greenhouse gas emissions. I am sure the Minister will agree that car owners have been incentivised through the taxation system to convert to electric cars, EVs. He has ensured that the purchasing if EVs is still attainable and effective even though the national grid cannot cope with any more of this because of the data centres. Are we going to …

I would have, if the Luas could connect me to my own county. Did the Deputy know, seeing as he is so smart, that I cannot use the train to come to Dublin because the train will not get me home if we are delayed in Dáil Éireann? The Deputy should know, smart man that he is, that if I get the green bus, it goes from 23 miles from my house, where there are no parking facilities, so I cannot use any public transport. I have to get someone to drive me to the green bus stop and collect me. That costs more in carbon tax. …

University Hospital Limerick, UHL, recorded the highest number of patients on trolleys in the country for October according to monthly trolley watch figures compiled by the INMO. UHL saw 1,349 patients on trolleys over the month of October and was followed by Letterkenny University Hospital with 943, University Hospital Galway with 829 and Cork University Hospital with 688. UHL has experienced some of the worst overcrowding in recent times with a total of 1,080 people being treated on trolleys. How can we talk abou…

Today I have swapped my Limerick mask for "Granagh Backs Amanda". Amanda is a woman in her early 30s in the parish I am from, Granagh. This weekend, on 24 October, the vintage clubs and community around Limerick and where Amanda is originally from, in Newtown in Cork, have joined for a fundraiser for her. Amanda has been receiving breast cancer treatment and has four children along with her husband, Daniel. Amanda's children have special needs. I have four children too and we all know how hard it is when there are …

I have learned an amount about autism. Services for children with special needs, including autism, were moved from Cork to Limerick when the Government decided to divide the resources by county. This was done in the middle of a pandemic. This was very difficult for some parents, who had to do a 60-mile round trip. They were given an alternative only in Limerick city. Representatives of the St. Gabriel's centre, which is working out of St. Joseph's Foundation in Charleville, came to my constituency office in Kilmall…

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, stressed that while there might be political space in which to forge a European response to the fuel crisis, the energy mix is a national responsibility. Some 1.8 million people in Ireland have seen a video I did here last week to show that the people who are ripping off this country are the Government. I mention the €57 per €100 in petrol and the €52 per €100 in diesel. The Government can help the people of Ireland now by waiting for six months until fuel pric…

Yes.

I come from a farming background and there was always gender equality in our house. Everyone had their chores to do and everyone did their jobs. Nieces of mine drive trucks and to tell the truth they drive them better than I can. I grew up with gender equality as a constant. I was struck by something during the week; I was getting a small mark on the side of my car fixed and when I collected it I was delighted to see that there was a female panel beater in the premises I picked it up in. I thought that was great bu…

What has this budget done for working-class people? Nothing; it costs them more. The Government has promised to raise the minimum wage, which is fine. However, it has taken it away from them three and four-fold in other ways. Earlier today, I mentioned the fuel costs and where the money goes. The Government gets 19% of that into its purse to do it. There are customs charges and VAT, all Government funding which it has. The Government has referred to all the houses being built here and there. Has it told the people …

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. For the information of the Minister of State, my name is Richard O’Donoghue and I am an independent Deputy who represents Limerick County. It is past the Red Cow and the Minister of State is quite welcome to visit us any time. This Government insulted the most vulnerable by giving them an increase of €5 a week in their pension where the cost of living has risen by approximately 20%. That is not to mention that on two previous occasions, the Government was supposed to give them an …

I am a reformed smoker who has been off the cigarettes since May 1994. I remember the date because it was a big choice for me to make. I was 24 years of age and smoked up to 40 Rothmans a day. Rothmans were a hard fag. I made the choice to give them up; in fact, the price of them made the decision for me, even though, at that time, they were a lot cheaper than they are today. I have friends who smoke. Do they know the consequences of smoking? Yes, they do. All we heard for many years was that you will get cancer an…

For the sake of the music, aviation and hospitality sectors and all the people around Ireland who depend on the Minister, I hope "Dancing in the Dark" by Bruce Springsteen, the favourite song of her party leader, the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan, is not her favourite song too. I hope her favourite song is "See the Lights" by Simple Minds or "Come Fly with Me" by Billy May. The impact of Covid-19 on Ireland’s tourism industry and throughout the world has been catastrophic. We are dependent on international vi…

The cost of filling a car in January 2021 was €78. I filled my own. The cost to fill the same car today is €91. The Government is now to also increase the carbon tax, which will increase this cost by €1.48, increasing the cost to fill that car to €92.48. Over 12 months, assuming that 60 l of fuel are used per week, the extra cost to run a car will be €780 per car owner. One must also consider SMEs, hauliers and farmers. Who benefits from this? City projects. Who pays the most? Those in towns, villages and rural are…

The Minister is aware that I have a background in construction and know what I am talking about when it comes to construction. I acknowledge the report of the mica working group and the urgency of getting 100% redress in a speedy fashion for the families affected in Mayo, Donegal and other counties, including Limerick. I have cases in Limerick dating from the late 1980s to 2006. All of the block materials used in the houses in question came from outside County Limerick, not from quarries in Limerick. I will address…

I have full confidence in the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, to sort out a problem handed to him by Fine Gael and the Labour Party.