Will the Tánaiste also commit-----

I am speaking for the people of north Tipperary-----

-----and north-west Kilkenny right now.

I do not need Deputy Lawless to speak for them.

He can stand up here as a glorified independent and do what he will but I will speak for the people I represent and I will not be shouted down.

Can I also get a commitment from the Tánaiste on guidelines for offshore wind farms? They are absolutely essential and have to be the future.

I thank the Minister of State for being here on behalf of the Minister for Transport. I congratulate her on her recent elevation. The matter I am raising affects families, especially in rural and regional Ireland, in a way that is unfair and out of step with the Government's transport and climate objectives. I am referring to the exclusion of commercial bus operators from the under-nines free travel scheme. Successive budgets have introduced measures designed to reduce public transport costs and these have been bro…

I appreciate the response the Minister of State has given me on behalf of the Minister for Transport. I appreciate that a lot of the work that has been done has been really positive, but I really do not appreciate where the policy stands. I hope the Minister of State will carry that back, while she is at Cabinet, to the Minister. I represent a constituency that does not have PSO routes and does not have public routes either. A number of years ago we lost the X12 and X8 routes, which were direct routes that travelle…

Housing is the greatest issue affecting my generation and I will not apologise to any Member of the permanent Opposition that will stand in this Chamber and ask where young Fianna Fáil TDs are. I am proud to be a young Fianna Fáil TD. I am proud to come from a working-class republican background. I am proud to stand in this Chamber and represent young people across rural Ireland because I am impacted by the housing crisis. My generation is impacted by the housing crisis and I know what it means to face unaffordable…

It is more important to that Member to object to 211 homes in her own constituency than contribute positively to policy in this country. It is more important to that TD to sit in Opposition and oppose and object time and again when 211 homes could have been built in Clonsilla but she delayed them.

As regards wastewater treatment plants, if Deputy 'Chap' Cleere puts a rocket up Irish Water, I will light it, if it means we will get a wastewater treatment plant in Cloghjordan and Ballycommon.

We can build houses there if Uisce Éireann will provide the infrastructure. Time and again, every chance I have had to raise housing in this Chamber, I have done so and at every opportunity, I will again. We want houses in Cloghjordan and Ballycommon and they can be built if we provide the infrastructure, but it is urgent. It is needed now, not in five or ten years. My generation needs it now. We need affordable housing schemes in Nenagh, Roscrea, Thurles and Urlingford and I am proud to represent all those towns. …

It is €20 to get back in.

It is €20 to rejoin us.

I would like to discuss the need to establish the promised countryside forum for nature. As a Deputy representing a rural constituency, I have a deep understanding of the importance of striking a balance between protecting our countryside and preserving and supporting the economic social and cultural interests and traditions of those who live in, work in and enjoy the countryside. Engaging with, giving voice to and actively listening to rural stakeholders is critical to achieving this balance. In 2021, a review of …

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, for taking this matter on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan. I appreciate that this is not directly his departmental area but I must express my concern at the initial response. In 2021, the nature advisory committee was committed to but not established. In 2022, the stakeholder forum was committed to but not established and I am worrying now, based on the reply, that we are seeing a third forum being promised but not being established and another group…

Roscrea needs more gardaí. Last August, I was delighted to welcome five new gardaí to north Tipperary. They were going to Nenagh and Thurles, which is very positive and welcome. Unfortunately, however, Roscrea was left out. Roscrea Garda station essentially does not open any more, whether it is for policing or for someone to get a form signed for a passport. This is difficult for the town. A number of years ago, Roscrea had three sergeants, 18 to 20 front-line gardaí, two civilian staff and a detective. Today, the …

Tá mé beagnach tinn inniu agus dá bhrí sin, ní bheidh mé ag caint ach ar feadh cúpla nóiméad. I thank both the Minister and the Minister of State for being here this evening for this debate. I welcome these statements on this important topic. It is an issue that has been repeatedly raised with me by constituents, particularly in the lead-up to the budget. The tillage sector is a critical part of the agrifood sector producing high-quality animal feed, bedding and ingredients for the food and drink industry. It contr…

I wish to start by strongly condemning in the most certain terms the brutality that Israel is inflicting upon the innocent people of Gaza. Equally, I would like to strongly condemn in the most certain terms the atrocious acts committed by Hamas, particularly on 7 October 2023. The murder, maiming and unjustifiable terror being waged on innocent people on both sides of this conflict has no place in our world, yet it continues, to the horror of the world looking in. The continuing barbaric, murderous, genocidal Israe…

The last two rounds of sports capital grants, delivered by Fianna Fáil Ministers in the Department, resulted in record levels of funding for north Tipperary. I was particularly delighted in the last round to have worked with Nenagh Hockey Club and BT Harps in Templemore, both of which got regional status for grants. BT Harps now have a full-size AstroTurf pitch in Templemore that is fully operational. Nenagh Hockey Club is progressing with the work on its new facilities on the grounds of Nenagh College. Those facil…