What is rural community development? It is vision, which the Government seems to lack. It is infrastructure, which the Government has never invested in outside of the cities. It is water and sewerage services, broadband and ESB connections for industry in rural areas. It is compulsory purchase orders for vacant and derelict properties which are included in the results that we have for infrastructure. It is connectivity in the rural areas for working, for school, for commuting and for basic shopping. It is the right…

I grew up around quad bikes and scramblers. Now they are faster and people buy them as Christmas presents but do not think of the consequences. Many people, however, use quad or scrambler bikes responsibly in a controlled environment, wearing the proper gear. I have great friends who are still doing it. We have a minority, however, who do not respect those around them when they are on their quad bikes. The Minister can fix it. If people were playing hurling on the road, hurling pitches would be made available, the …

I thank Deputies Mattie McGrath and Michael Collins for sharing their time with me. Since Deputy Michael Healy-Rae is not present, I will share my time with Deputy Danny Healy-Rae. I thank Deputy McNamara for tabling this timely motion. Deputies have stated that this is not a fight between Dublin Airport and the rest of the country's airports, but it is. Pre-Covid, 33 million people travelled through Dublin Airport, 1.8 million through Shannon Airport and 2.3 million through Cork Airport. There are also Knock, Galw…

First, for people who qualified for a primary medical certificate before the Supreme Court judgment in June of this year and who are upgrading their vehicles, are they still entitled to the VRT payment or has that been restricted? Second, with regard to the cost of the Supreme Court judgment, has it cleared the backlog of people waiting for their primary medical certificates?

The UK formally left the EU on 31 January 2020. The protocol around the Good Friday Agreement has always to be upheld. There are 21 Parts to this Bill. I will focus on customs aspects and how Brexit will impact on the transport industry for all our exports to Europe and the speed with which we can get products to market. I am bothered by the number of reports produced for Brexit. This is one of many. I am also concerned about the statements that since 2018, 600 staff have been working in customs-based roles to get …

I propose to share time with Deputy Michael Healy-Rae. Climate change has a considerable impact on flood risk in Ireland. This means rising sea levels, increased wave action, potential winter rainfalls and intense rainfall events. Other factors are changes in land use through house building and other building developments. These are factors that we cannot control. However, what we do have control over is calling on the Government to be held accountable. It must make a commitment to provide an update on the implemen…

This Bill shows how far out of touch the Government is with reality, specifically the reality of rural Ireland. It shows how little the Government thinks of anyone outside the large cities. The Government wants those people to pay the most for all its projects, but it returns nothing to the counties. A budget of €18 billion was presented for 2021, but the allocation of €5 million in funding for digital hubs and €132 million for the national broadband plan is completely inadequate. This was a missed opportunity to b…

I always compliment anybody who can stand up to say sorry if he or she has done something wrong. The Tánaiste has done that. He also indicated in his statement that he had unfinished business in health. He also complimented the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, and the former Minister for Health, Deputy Harris. I ask the Tánaiste to bear with me for a moment. On 15 October, I asked him about a Supreme Court judgment concerning assessments of disability. He told me that he did not know the question was coming up…

I do not accept that answer. People have been told they are still on a list but a direction was given by the then Minister for Health to discontinue the scheme. I do not accept the answer. I accept that the Tánaiste has said sorry and I do not believe for a minute that the actions we are discussing were done intentionally. However, €210 million would have solved many problems in this country. Somebody has benefited but the most vulnerable in the country should have been the first to benefit. That is my unfinished b…

I will start my contribution with some breaking news. The media has a responsibility if they put out a story by way of breaking news but the Government has a responsibility to give the proper information. I see the Ceann Comhairle was at the front of a breaking news story last week that 400 former Deputies were told, by way of a headline, not to attend the bar and, in small print underneath the headline, the restaurant in the Dáil. The facts are that the bar has, along with the wet pubs, been closed since the start…

Previous speakers have taken a lot of time and I want to ensure I leave an opportunity for others who are waiting to speak. Several Deputies have argued that we all need to work together. We should do the same to ensure we all get a chance to say what we have to say in the time available. Several speakers made the point that NPHET's advice was ignored in advance of the current lockdown. My view at the time was that it was not ignored but it needed to be discussed. It was the way the story was leaked that caused pan…

I joined the robust debate on the delay in the forestry licence process three weeks ago. At the time, it was lively. The Rural Independent Group was assured by the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, that the Bill would strengthen the present system, allowing more people to look at the licence system without delay. In reality, nothing has happened. I understood that the forestry appeals committee was to immediately split into divisions so that multiple appeals could be dealt with simultaneously,…

We have heard so many positives today about the resilience and work of staff and owners of post offices. I will point out the tacit knowledge that An Post has in its offices; it is the tacit knowledge we cannot see. In our local communities, postmen and postwomen know where people live and they know who is in a house. This is a valuable resource as in rural areas, the postman or postwoman may be the only individual a person might meet in a day or week. What these people offer amounts to a meet-and-greet service. Th…

The Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home operated between 1925 and 1961. It was located in Tuam, County Galway. I say to the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and Deputy Canney that this is no reflection on the people of the county. I am very lucky to have my only living aunt, Ms Peggy McEnerney, living in Kinvarra, County Galway. She would not have me say a bad word about the county. The mother and baby homes were used for single mothers who were stigmatised because they were unmarried. The treatment of these women was horrendous…

I am sharing time. The Bill gives the impression that someone cares about where people live. Co-living has, to date, been classed as substandard and applications have been turned down by An Bord Pleanála on more than one occasion. There is a shortfall in the provision of floor space, with an equal shortfall in respect of the kitchen and the shared space, but this could be a very costly mistake for the Government. In June 2019, An Bord Pleanála refused permission to Bartra Capital Property Group for a co-living deve…

What is a primary medical certificate? A primary medical certificate allows a person with a disability to claim back VAT on a vehicle. It also allows for tax relief on the purchase and adoption of vehicles. For the past four years, the Minister for Finance has been embroiled in controversy over the criteria for this scheme. A case was challenged and went to the Supreme Court, and the Minister lost the case. Was this case warranted? How much did this court case cost? How many adults and children with disabilities co…

On 6 October, a letter went out from the office of the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, to the community care centre stating that in light of the Supreme Court judgment, his officials had informed him not to restart the services for assessment. That letter was sent by the Minister. I also have copies of letters, dated 9 October, stating that a person with a disability was on the list. On 6 October the Minister told the community care centre to stop the assessments and on 9 October someone was being put on the …

People in Limerick have picketed Debenhams for their rights. The Government should stand up. I have asked it before, and I am asking it again, to stand up and protect the workers. They are not looking for a massive payout; they are just looking for what they are entitled to. KPMG is disgracing the Government. Our Government must stand up and send a clear message to KPMG. Our workers - the ones we are here to protect and the ones who have paid taxes for years in this country - are now turning to our Government to st…

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I acknowledge that the budget gave many people hope of surviving financially during the Covid crisis. However, I do not support the measures it brought in under the green agenda as they hit rural Ireland to the core. Yesterday €3.8 billion was given to health. What will this mean for children with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, EDS? There are two children in my constituency with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome - Leah who is ten years of age and Ellie who is seven years of age. I brought these cases to the Dáil on several occasions…