I wish to ask the Taoiseach about the Government's plan to implement a windfall tax. I am seeking clarity on the matter because I have been unable to get a straight answer from the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. When I submitted written questions to the Minister in December, he seemed to rule out bringing in a windfall tax on electricity companies despite the record profits. A couple of weeks ago in this Chamber he dismissed my concerns, claiming he would bring in a windfall tax on private electricity companies for 2…

This evening, Sinn Féin will table a motion calling on the Government to address the deterioration of ambulance services. This is nowhere more evident than in my own county of Mayo. The National Ambulance Service has warned that unless the Government acts, it will have insufficient resources to respond to the projected demand and the response times will continue to increase. We need to look at the coverage of the ambulance fleet, the ambulance stations themselves and the rapid deployment points to ensure that equit…

This Bill is the first substantive credit union legislation since 2011 and a first step in delivering the commitments in the programme for Government for credit unions. They have been waiting for that for a long time. That said, the Bill will require substantial amendments if we are to get this legislation for this vitally important sector and make the most of the wonderful national and community asset that our network of credit unions presents us with. The credit union has been held back for over a decade by polic…

The Teachers Union of Ireland is here today because the Government has failed to act on the Labour Court recommendations in respect of adult education tutors. The Labour Court made its recommendation back in March 2020 but still no offer has been made to these tutors. There are approximately 2,500 full-time adult education tutors. Despite most being full-time, they are employed on a part-time basis. There are different rates of pay for tutors depending on the education and training board that employs them. They are…

The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is at last set to bring a windfall tax, or what is called a temporary solidarity contribution, on profits in fossil fuel production. In Ireland that means the Corrib gas field, which trebled profits in the first six months of 2022 to an estimated €560 million. That puts it on course for €1 billion of profits in the year. This is particularly hard for people to hear as we know it has not paid the corporation tax over the years, instead …

Those programmes are not reaching us.

I thank the Social Democrats for tabling this motion and welcome the opportunity to give voice to households and small businesses in Mayo that are crippled by extortionate electricity and energy bills. You only had to listen to Midwest Radio this morning to hear people ringing in and talking about bills that used to be €250 but are now €1,000, €1,200 and beyond. They know they are being fleeced and they feel helpless to protect themselves from those that are allowed to exploit the war in Ukraine and make billions o…

The Minister needs to clear this up because there is too much messing around and people are being fleeced. Their money is being robbed from their accounts. The electricity companies are taking every penny out of their accounts. This is money for food, rent, mortgages and medicine. The Government is acting as a spectator and is allowing this to happen. It is not right. People are living in a hell of fuel poverty and energy deprivation. This is what has been allowed to happen. Will the windfall tax be applied to the …

Has the Taoiseach received clarity from the British Government regarding the concerning Nationality and Borders Act 2022 and the recently proposed roll-out of the electronic travel authorisation, ETA, scheme for third country nationals crossing the Border? I have grave concerns about this proposal. The Border is already too hard. We cannot have a situation where people travelling across Ireland could be subject to visa requirements. This is an affront to the Good Friday Agreement and would cause untold damage to co…

The Government finally moved on the issue of the rent tax credit and introduced a watered-down version of the Sinn Féin proposal. However, the requirement for the landlord to be registered with the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB, excludes so many, including students. Will the Taoiseach clarify whether RTB registration is a requirement? This punishes renters for landlords not following the rules. Students under the rent-a-room scheme and digs-style accommodation are also excluded. This is particularly galling for …

I welcome the opportunity to contribute on this important Bill. I thank all the County Mayo farmers, suppliers and those concerned with agriculture who contacted me with their valuable input into the Bill. It is long overdue legislation that has been a source of great anxiety due to the serious risks it could pose to the sector if we do not get it right. It should have been transposed by January 2022 but the delay has largely been of the Government's own making as it looked at the end of the system of allowing peop…

Can the Minister provide an update on the second stage of the assessment process for the increased veterinary provision, including details on the selection criteria, the expert panel, ensuring international standards, the number of additional veterinary places that will be delivered, whether this will meet the current needs of the sector and when the first places will be delivered?

I thank the Minister. On to the figures, 302 qualified vets going on to the VCI register in 2022 shows a continuing rise year-on-year in the demand for vets. Some 70% of new vets entering the register were educated outside Ireland. That shows us the extent of the problem we have. We are agreed on that. We are deeply concerned that the panel lacks an independent expert on veterinary education, who has recent experience as a practising vet, to assess and deliver a new veterinary programme that would be appropriately …

Given the level of investment required here, it is vital to get the education quality and the accreditation standards right from the beginning. I am not naming any one in particular, but the institute or the institutes, because there could be collaboration between North and South, tasked with delivering the course must have the capacity to deliver from the get-go. That is the bottom line. They must be able to attract and retain the best quality teaching staff and they must be able to cater for the veterinary needs …

Can the Minister provide an update on the student accommodation projects at advanced stages of planning that remain undeveloped due to the lack of agreement on Government support? Will the Minister explain to us the situation regarding the students who are excluded from the rent tax credit? The Taoiseach was unable to do so earlier today. I want to be clear for once and for all what students are included in the scheme and why others are excluded. People need clarity. We cannot get the answers from Revenue.

I thank the Minister. It is vitally important that these projects are progressed sooner rather than later. The Minister knows I have pushed for a long time for public funding for student accommodation because it is integral to students participating in third level education, in particular students from rural areas. How is the Minister making sure that the beds will be affordable once they are available? We need to make sure that it is just that a number are ring-fenced for SUSI students or whoever; they should all …

It is included.

Affordability is crucial. As this is the first time there has been public investment in student accommodation, we must get it right from the beginning to meet the affordability criteria. There is no point in having student accommodation or any type of accommodation if it is beyond the reach of ordinary people so we must get it right. I wanted to get clarity because this is not what has been coming from Revenue. Anyone renting under the rent-a-room scheme, whose tenancies are obviously not registered with the RTB, w…

I thank Deputy Gannon for raising this important topic. Will a more formal consultation process take place later in the review process and include the stakeholder engagement? We are concerned that at the moment, it is more of a scoping exercise without a consultation paper and that submissions are not actively being sought. I join Deputy Gannon in urging the Minister to request the chairs of the review into PhD conditions to contact the postgraduate workers’ organisation, when it is formed, and meet it as the body …

Here I am again with the vets. At this stage, I have probably spoken to the vast majority of vets from across the island. They obviously want to get this right, as do I. I come from a farming community along the western seaboard and we have long wanted a veterinary school there. It makes sense. It does concern me when the Minister speaks of an extension of what is already there because we, in particular, have a shortage of vets for large animals that needs to be catered for. It is not like putting on any other cour…