The Minister is welcome to Limerick to see the houses we have issues with. I have a question that might help the Minister going forward. Have the quarries found to have had pyrite in their blocks stopped making blocks? If so, how long ago did they stop? This report was done in 2012 so the quarries knew there was an issue at that time. Have those quarries been making blocks since then? Have they added to the problem, in which case they would be liable? Going forward, people who have pyrite in their houses cannot be …

And Limerick.

I acknowledge the work that the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, is doing in regard to putting together a youth justice strategy. I spoke to gardaí in several Garda stations in this regard and they acknowledged it was difficult during Covid to have meaningful engagements with youths. However, now that sports are back and they are liaising with organisations like the GAA clubs, the schools, soccer clubs, camogie clubs and other groups outside of sport, they are having conversations and supporting many of the …

Emergency provisions need to remain in place until we are completely rid of Covid-19 permanently. However, there are aspects of this that need to be looked at. We are very aware of the people who contracted Covid-19 and who will get paid while they are out sick for the recommended number of days. We have a shortage across so many industries due to the PUP. I am talking here about construction, haulage, all aspects of healthcare and hospitality. Some people are on the payment for legitimate reasons but others are ex…

The hospital waiting lists for children are unthinkable. Many of the children on these waiting lists are just waiting for treatment for minor ailments. If they do not get an early diagnosis, there will be lifetime effects. Some 106,000 children are waiting for tests in the public system, Some 8,000 are waiting for CT scans and 2,700 children and young people are waiting for access to mental health services. There is an incredible shortage of neurological nurses throughout the country, but particularly in Sligo and …

This is on childcare. Children are coming into the hospitals for diagnosis, and to have their needs catered for. Look at this House. There is a roster here. Everyone knows who is here, what time they are due to be here, what time they will be speaking and what people are in their offices, but that is not the case with the hospital system. We need to get this right. We need to tackle it. If the managers and CEOs of the hospital cannot manage this, it is our children, our parents, our brothers and our sisters who are…

If all the data centres proposed for Ireland are to be connected, they will use as much as 70% of Ireland's electricity capacity by 2030. Dublin has developed into a major data hub, but at what cost to our electricity supply? Ireland wants to reduce its emissions by slowing down energy use. Data centres put massive pressure on an existing system that is broken. Why is the Green Party in government turning a blind eye to this issue while farming groups are being pressurised to reduce the national herd by 50%? Househ…

When will Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party stop discriminating against people in County Limerick? We brought forward an amendment to the Project Ireland 2040 plan and the Government voted against it. The Government is stopping people building in towns, villages and rural areas because of a lack of investment. All of the investment to upgrade infrastructure is going into the cities. When you look at the towns and villages around County Limerick, the Government is saying it will invest in the upgrade of the…

They will not increase capacity. They will only upgrade the existing capacity. The only upgrades are in the cities.

Towns and villages.

Upgrading is being done but extra capacity is not being allowed for. That means you are closing us down.

I have been a building contractor all my life. I started in building early and I am still in building. When I see the Housing for All plan for 2030, I reflect, as I told Government Deputies earlier, that the only reason they are trying to amend planning laws for one-off houses is that the electorate came and told them they had better not show their faces at the doors again. That is why they listened, but they have not been listening for years. I have been in discussions with Irish Water for the past 12 months or mo…

When the United States and NATO turned to rebuilding the failed state of Afghanistan in the 1980s, they attempted a western-style democracy. They sent billions of dollars to try to reconstruct a desperately poor country already torn apart by two decades of war – first during the Soviet occupation of the 1980s and then in the civil war. There were early successes. New schools, hospitals and public facilities were built, and thousands of girls barred from education under Taliban rule attended school. Women went to co…

Children with minor ailments on waiting lists do not get an early diagnosis, which has lifelong consequences. The development test for babies is missing disabilities. I am talking about basic speech therapy and about eye, ear and mobility issues. Some 106,000 children are awaiting tests in the public system. Some 8,000 are awaiting ultrasounds and CT scans while 2,700 children and young people are on waiting lists for children's mental health services. This is very well documented. I can list problems in the health…

How can we merge apprenticeships into our education model much earlier in order that early school leavers can be encouraged to start apprenticeships in advance of completing their education? We are at crisis point when it comes to skills shortages in our country, particularly in respect of vocational subjects. Without getting into particulars around housing, I want to focus on the junior cycle and its students who have a basic interest in the academic subjects.

From my experience, I have found that students are forced into an academic cycle to complete their leaving certificate where vocational subject time is reduced, particularly in respect of the leaving certificate programme. My suggestion to the Minister for Education is to commence the process much earlier and to merge the Further Education and Training Awards Council, FETAC, framework at junior certificate stage, possibly during transition year. Building a two-days-per-week work experience into the apprenticeship, …

My office is inundated with emails from constituents in County Limerick who want to raise awareness about the shortage of school funding. Funding is particularly low in Ireland at €1 per child per school day. I know the Minister's office has responded to this as in her written reply, and I am delighted to be able to get back to those constituents and show them that she is rectifying the numerous issues I have raised. Schools funding is very important, especially for rural schools that have working principals. They …

I welcome this legislation, which will reduce bureaucracy and enable Garda to be more robust and agile when dealing with crime. I understand the Bill proposes to free up gardaí so that we will have more front-line staff. I also welcome the leaner management structure. Newcastle West is the largest county town in Limerick yet its Garda headquarters is in two areas. Administration is handled in Askeaton 20 km away and all phone calls from members of the public are diverted to the control room at Henry Street from 9 p…

The Government might learn from the management team of All-Ireland champions, Limerick. Three parties are going in three different directions and getting nothing right. We have seen Deputy Varadkar leak stuff and Phil Hogan put out of his role. I did not like the man but he was doing a job in Europe. We saw agriculture Ministers being thrown around in this House. We are here to do business and to work for the people. My job here is to get business done. Do I have confidence in the Minister? I do. Did he do wrong? H…

I welcome improved regulation of finance services, especially when it comes to helping young people to get finance for cars and other vehicles. The Consumer Credit Act needs to be amended to ensure transparency and facilitate the Central Bank to publish information around credit agreements. Until now, there was not proper regulation of the terms given to people who bought cars on credit. This Bill will ensure that the interest customers are charged is transparent and the APR is included in the paperwork. In additio…