I thank the Social Democrats for bringing forward the motion and allowing us the opportunity to speak about the people who have been left behind. The Minister is still not listening. He is certainly not listening to the people in rural Ireland. I will tell him about the plumber I met at the protest on Monday morning in Ballina. These are the same protests that the Government is trying to condemn, and write to Coimisiún na Meán about to tell it to reel them in and to cover this differently, and all of that, in order…

Hear, hear.

The recent case and indeed the resilience and courage of former Garda Margaret Loftus exposed the systematic and institutionalised failures in addressing domestic, sexual and gender-based violence in Ireland, particularly when the alleged perpetrators are members of An Garda Síochána. Reliance on self-disclosure leaves systematic blind spots, allowing potential perpetrators to maintain investigative authority over other victims. Without statutory oversight, independent monitoring and systemic reform, Garda structur…

I am conscious of how deeply disappointed many people across this country are that this do-nothing Government is still in place. These are people struggling to get by. They are people who cannot afford to heat their homes, families, people with disabilities, children pushed into poverty, people who cannot afford to put fuel in their cars, the carers, the home help and other workers and small businesses struggling to survive. I assure them that Sinn Féin has their backs and will continue to fight on their behalf. Th…

I hope the Critical Infrastructure Bill will not represent yet another failure for rural Ireland, which for too long has been left behind with regard to investment in infrastructure. Nowhere is that more evident then in the state of our regional and local roads, which are in urgent need of investment, and also our wastewater treatment plants and water infrastructure. In Mayo, our roads are lifelines for our communities. However, years of underinvestment have left many of these roads in poor condition, placing a dai…

The recent drowning of Joachim McNulty from Belderrig in County Mayo when his vehicle slipped off a pier is a stark reminder of the urgent need to prioritise pier maintenance around the country. This happened on the anniversary of a similar drowning off a pier in County Donegal. I extend my thoughts and sympathies to Joachim's family. Along with Darren Forde, they are now starting a campaign for the maintenance and proper improvement of piers because dangerous moss-covered pathways and piers and inadequate protecti…

Two cent per litre is €20 for a 1,000 litre fill when people are afraid to turn on their heating - this Government will be remembered as the Government of fuel poverty and energy poverty. It is pushing people into energy poverty. To add fuel to the fire, it is incredible that the Government still plans to proceed with the next carbon tax hike in May. At a time when people are already stretched to breaking point, this decision defies all logic. This measure is an insult to the people of Mayo who make up some of the …

My question is also about Ukrainians living here and what we need to do. It has been brought to my attention that many Ukrainians who are living here are having major difficulties in renewing their Ukrainian passports. Those who fled the Russian invasion and sought refuge here now find themselves unable to renew their passports in Ireland. The Taoiseach will know that, when Ukrainian children reach the age of 14, they have to get a passport of their own. Otherwise, they are fined. The current online process repeate…

For God's sake. The Taoiseach should not be obtuse.

We are either neutral or we are not.

I am shocked at the Taoiseach.

The effectiveness of our national security framework depends not only on the capabilities of our security services but also on maintaining the trust and confidence of the public. That trust must be grounded in transparency, accountability and proper democratic oversight. At present, the mechanisms available to this House to scrutinise national security policy remain limited in scope and visibility. Strengthening the oversight role of the Oireachtas while at the same time fully respecting the need to protect sensiti…

Yes, there is. Obviously, we are constrained.

I thank my colleague David Cullinane for bringing forward this motion. As the last speaker, Pa Daly, said, medical cards for cancer patients are a real issue, as is the affordability of access to care. I ask the Minister of State to bring that back to the Minister to ensure that something is done about it. I commend all the staff working in oncology. They work really hard. In Mayo cancer patients are served by Galway and Mayo university hospitals. The biggest problem we have in Mayo is the delays in diagnosis. If y…

Deputy Farrell is on her way. While marking International Women's Day we need to reflect not only on the achievements of women across Ireland but also on a difficult and painful history that cannot be ignored. For generations women in Ireland were marginalised, silenced and controlled, from institutional abuses to systematic exclusion from public life. I want to acknowledge the recent developments with Philomena's law, particularly for Irish women living abroad. We should never have dealt with them the way we did i…

I want to begin by reading an email I received from a constituent who is freezing in her own home because she ran out of heating oil. She says: I have recently run out of oil due to the massive price hike, which is reported to be up to 60% in some areas. I simply can't afford to refill the tank. As a result, I'm left freezing in my own home, which is not a situation anyone should face in 2026. This is becoming completely unmanageable, and it's wrong. The Government are punishing and crippling the average worker. Th…

I received a message this morning from the parents of Mikey Henry-Benson from Mayo, who has scoliosis. The Minister met and knows the family. The parents stated that CHI has ruined their lives, shattered Mikey's sisters' lives and destroyed Mikey's chance at life. They stated that the HSE has put another nail in it. They stated that they asked the HSE for an independent assessment for Mikey but he most certainly did not get that. The HSE said it was going to go with what CHI said. The message went on to ask why the…

What is Minister doing about the disparity in income levels across the State and what is he doing to ensure that well-paid jobs are not just centralised in the major urban areas but also spread out to the regions? I and many other rural and regional Deputies stand here week in, week out asking for fairness and balanced regional investment to attract secure and well-paid jobs to our regions. We have an over-concentration of high-paid employment in major urban centres forcing people to relocate or commute long distan…

The newly released 2024 data from the CSO shows stark disparities in disposable income and worrying employment trends, particularly around the northern and western region. I will set out some of the figures that are causing me concern. The average disposable income per person nationally in 2024 was €30,139 but in the northern and western region, it was €27,166. In Mayo, it was €27,343, which was almost 10% below the national average. That is not a marginal gap but a clear regional imbalance that confirms what commu…

There is something to see here. I ask the Minister to pay attention to this because what I quoted to him in terms of the drop of 8.7% in 2024 in Mayo alone represents 5,540 fewer jobs located in the county in just one year. Yes, some people commute to neighbouring counties but when the number of jobs physically based in a county falls so sharply, it signals declining regional investment and missed opportunity. While this data does not yet include 2025, it paints a deeply worrying picture of growing regional inequal…