I thank the Minister of State for thinking about County Mayo.

I thank him for his positive action. That is what I like. Is the Minister engaged in discussions to agree revised principles for a new higher education staffing agreement to update the employment control framework? I have raised this issue a number of times since the Government was formed. The sector and its workforce have struggled under the employment control framework since 2010. It is still in place since Fianna Fáil was previously in government. Will he provide an update on the new higher education agreement t…

I understand the role of the Department is to ensure that it is sustainable from a fiscal and expenditure perspective but that is the heart of the issue and it is why the employment framework was introduced in the first place. I welcome the establishment of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, and I, like many working in the sector, took that as a signal that the Government was finally ready to take higher education out of austerity mode. That is over two years ago and 1…

The Minister will understand that the funding per student is down 37% on what it was in 2008. Most early career academics and researchers now go from one precarious contract to another. Some 16% of researchers in the technological sector are on permanent contracts but only 5% of researchers in universities are on full-time contracts. It is important to remember that many of these researchers had to complete year upon year of study, many as PhD researchers, where they are paid less than the minimum wage in the form …

I thank the Rural Independent Group for bringing forward this motion because it gives special attention to the cost of living crisis, particularly in rural Ireland and on family farms. We know that the cost of fertiliser has increased by between 160% and 228% in the last year and that is completely unsustainable. While beef prices might be high, the outputs are crazy. Feed costs have gone through the roof and farm families are struggling with fuel costs and other costs associated with living in rural Ireland. I do …

Over the weekend, a leaked European Commission report said that gas prices will remain high and volatile until at least 2023. Shockingly, the leaked draft report makes no mention of the decoupling of electricity prices from gas prices. When the price of gas goes up, households pay more for wind-generated electricity too. This is because the pricing system is essentially an auction where the cost of gas generated sets the price. The EU and successive governments here have pushed this market pricing system for years.…

Yes.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle. At the outset I welcome both of these citizens’ assemblies. We need to take stock of the previous assembly that we had on gender equality. It is of concern that despite Covid-19, there were 45 recommendations that crossed a number of areas and I share the concern of my own colleague, Deputy Clarke, that because of the inaction from that citizens’ assembly, it may result in people being less inclined to participate in future assemblies. We have a citizens’ assembly report a…

The mere fact the issue of the carbon tax has been raised so many times, in our Private Members' motion earlier and in another Private Members' motion tomorrow, should show what an important issue it is. The idea of the tax is that it would change behaviours. We told the Minister at the time it would not do so because we did not have alternatives. We have seen the increase in the prices. The Minister might say it is only small but he does not need it at this particular time. He knows we have overshot the runway on …

When the Minister lauds the merits of the carbon tax he misses the point that there are no alternatives for people. He misses the point this will be the straw that breaks their backs. The Minister for Finance knows what the equilibrium is. He knows the tipping point. He knows that people cannot bear any more of the hardship he is putting on them right now. The message he is sending them is to suck up some more. It is not right and it is not fair. It is certainly not going to change people's behaviour in terms of th…

I hope the Minister of State, Deputy Patrick O'Donovan, can address the important issues I raise. We learned today that thousands of people have been drinking water from rural supplies that are contaminated with E. coli, many of which are in my constituency of Mayo and also in Galway. Of the 380 group water schemes inspected, 20 were contaminated. When will the review of the funding and supports for water services in rural Ireland be finalised and acted upon? I raised with the Tánaiste some weeks ago the plight of …

I thank the Minister of State. When he referred to schemes and local communities, it is important to remember that we are talking about volunteers. We are not talking about the head of Irish Water and others who are paid huge amounts of money. Those involved are volunteers within their communities. They are tired and worn out, and need to resolve this issue. When the Minister of State says that they need to resolve any difficulties, they cannot pay money out of their own pockets to deal with legacy debt. If the leg…

On a point of order, the Minister of State is absolutely incorrect and he knows that. He is being mischievous.

He is being misleading.

I thank the Regional Group for bringing this important motion before the Dáil. I know that the Minister of State understands this, but there are absolutely no excuses for the lack of transport or the lack of help with transport in rural areas. I come from Belmullet. It is a six-hour round trip to get to a hospital appointment in Galway. We are in the middle of a cost of living crisis and the fact is that people with disabilities do not have the money to be able to go to their hospital appointments. There is a backl…

They did it on their own. Fair play to them, and I take that back. However, it is so serious. People can get on a train or a bus to get to where they need to be, but think of somebody with a disability living in Blacksod trying to get to Galway. Do not forget we privatised and centralised everything because we thought that was a good idea without ever thinking about what transport links there would be for people. It is the people who are most marginalised and who are on the lowest incomes who cannot get to where th…

It has been two years since the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, gave a 100% commitment that he would have an inquiry into the valproate scandal. Fourteen months ago in the Dáil, he promised that inquiry would commence but it still has not. When is it going to commence? I remind the Tánaiste that when an inquiry was conducted in the UK by Baroness Cumberlege, she stated: "I have conducted many reviews and inquiries over the years, but I have never encountered anything like this; the intensity of suffer…

I welcome this Bill because it will enable the CCPC to operate more effectively. Indeed, it should provide the long-awaited powers necessary to tackle a wide range of white-collar crimes. As somebody who sat on the finance committee and who was involved in the scrutiny of insurance prices, what was happening in that market, the protection of raw data and how things were used against the consumer, who was fleeced with insurance costs, I really welcome this. The Bill is a good beginning and will go at least some way …

The Government has decided to deny the students the choice when it comes to this year's leaving certificate. This is despite students having come through years of a severely disrupted leaving certificate cycle. I and Sinn Féin believe that that is wrong and they should have had a choice. Students deserve to be given a choice. What steps has the Minister taken to ensure additional places are made available on the in-demand courses, particularly those courses where there is both a high demand and a skills shortage?

When Fine Gael has representation in the North, we will deal with that. I look forward to it.