Since President Trump began his second term of office the world as we know it has become a more volatile place. His early statements about turning Gaza into the Riviera of the Middle East through a policy of ethnic cleansing shows just what absurd thought processes we are dealing with. Combative statements dominate American foreign policy. That is now finding its way into economic policy. It is well known that Trump's imposition of arbitrary tariffs on products manufactured in countries across the globe will bring …

Ba mhaith liom cúpla focal a rá mar gheall ar Mhaigh Eo. Gabh mo leithscéal, ach labhróidh mé as Béarla. The Minister will be very familiar with what I am talking about. Recently, the Committee on the Irish Language, Gaeltacht and the Irish-speaking Community published a report that recommended that additional all-Irish post-primary schools be established across the country. I ask the Minister to look into why there is such a lack of progress regarding the application from Gaelcholáiste Mhaigh Eo i gCaisleán an Bha…

I completely understand that, but the Minister, Deputy Calleary, will have as much interest in this as I have.

Why is Mayo so under-represented in this Bill? It makes no sense. There is only one seat for Mayo on the board, which is a 50% reduction on what we had following the 2005 election. There is no representation at all for the west Mayo Gaeltacht of Oileán Acla, which is too small to have an impact on the Mayo constituency. All of this is being done to facilitate more ministerial appointments to Údarás na Gaeltachta. It is not right. We need democratic representation. Sinn Féin's proposals would provide for two separat…

The Taoiseach will remember that on 4 March I raised in the Chamber the case of 16-year-old Mikey Henry, who suffers with scoliosis. Mikey, along with his parents Penny and Michael and his sisters Clara and Cate, travelled from Mayo to the Dáil last week and while they were here they met the Minister for Health. I want to sincerely thank the health Minister, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill for taking the time to meet the family but now is the time for action. They want an independent second opinion on his surgical…

Yes, or London.

There are blocks.

In the context of global economic turmoil, investment in infrastructure is very important. In 2021, the national development plan set a target of 5% of GNI* to be invested in capital projects for the period 2021 to 2030. We know this target has not been met in any of the years so far. In 2021, the national development plan was underfunded by almost €1 billion. In 2022, it was underfunded by €2.2 billion, in 2023 by €2.3 billion, and in 2024 by €2.4 billion. Nor have the budgets been adjusted for inflation. This und…

While I welcome the fact that at last the Government is acting upon the recommendations of the Commission on Pensions, which it established, and is introducing legislation to prohibit employers setting a mandatory retirement age for workers, I am calling on the Government to reduce the age at which citizens can access their State pension to 65 years old. People have not forgotten that this was abolished by the Fine Gael and Labour Party Government in 2013. It is my belief that Fine Gael may have its sights on even …

In February, I submitted a parliamentary question regarding resources for students with mild to moderate learning difficulties accessing level 2 learning programmes, L2LPs, and level 1 learning programmes, L1LPs, in mainstream classes. I received a reply but the real issue was deflected. The key question here is whether the Department of Education will allocate hours to schools in order to resource the teaching of L2LP or L1LP. At the moment, it is taken out of the pool of SET hours. I will give an example of one s…

I will give the Minister of State this document. It sets out what the issue that needs to be addressed is. The student I was talking about receives maths tuition for two hours per week, covering basic units like money, the days in the week and the months in the year. Is there any TD in the Dáil with his or her child at this level of learning in secondary school who would not expect that child to have an allocation of teaching hours separate to the general SET hours? SET hours are allocated to dyslexic students, for…

I listened carefully to the Minister's answer to my colleague Deputy Kenny. The principal issue of the categorisation of the land parcels still stands. The measure aims to protect peat but the classification of all parcels of land with more than 50% peat soils being subject to GAEC will severely disadvantage farmers across Mayo and the western seaboard. I heard the Minister deny that but 100,000 ha of mineral soils are being wrongly classified. Commission officials whom the INHFA met last week confirmed that this t…

We want to work with the Minister on this matter, but he must understand that there is a legacy of mistrust. I come from a severely designated area where people now cannot get planning permissions. It is getting worse with planning permission refusals these days because something is an NHA or an SAC. Parts of Mayo, including lands around Carrowteige and the Mullet Peninsula, for example, are being actively depopulated. I do not want the same thing to happen again.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. We are all trying to get ready for the announcement at 9 p.m. That is the situation we are in. I apologise for being late. I understand the absolute necessity to extend the 9% VAT rate on electricity and gas. The Eurostat figures released in October last year show that the average energy bill for an Irish household is €500 higher than the EU average. The figures are due to be updated in May and I doubt they will make for any less grim reading. We have the highest energy prices in Europe…

I welcome the Bill but also encourage the Minister of State to accept the amendments to it. Being from County Mayo and rural Ireland, and Storm Éowyn was mentioned by Deputy Doherty, I see at first hand the importance of a Bill such this and the Bill having a legal standing for businesses' acceptance of cash. I commend the post offices on the Trojan work they did when they did not have services from Eir and others and still did their very best to provide cash for people. This is also vitally important for elderly p…

The lack of urgency in the Government's response to the storm was quite bizarre. The storm was on 21 January, and the Taoiseach said there was a meeting on 22 January, but - and maybe he can correct this - warnings of the ferocity of the storm were sent out days in advance, yet there was no effective co-ordinated plan in the aftermath. I will tell the Taoiseach what I think the problem was. Whatever co-ordination there was at a national level, it did not seep down through. We will discuss this in fuller detail in o…

I am also deeply concerned about what happened with Mothers Against Genocide protesting peacefully on Mother's Day. I want to give the Taoiseach the time to answer as to why the escalation of this peaceful protest took place. Very powerful advocates on behalf of women and children are being slaughtered in Palestine.

The Minister will be very familiar with what I am going to say. I acknowledge the work he has done on this scheme so far but we need to tidy it up and sort out the inconsistencies. As my colleague Deputy Kerrane was just saying, some people are getting some while others are getting nothing at all. Tonight, I got a message from somebody whose roof was really damaged and who has been waiting a month and a half. We have to find a way. I do not know if the Minister has resources within the Department or needs to bring …

I also wish the Minister well in his role. I previously held the role my colleague, Deputy McGettigan, now holds and I very much enjoyed it. It is an area in which the Minister could make great progress, not least with regard to accommodation. There are serious problems with digs accommodation. That is why my colleagues, Deputies Ó Broin and Farrell, introduced legislation in the area last year. I take on board what the Minister has said about this being an emergency measure and not wanting to shut down any streams…

I am asking about Mayo.