I want to raise again the fact that the people of south Tipperary have had no ophthalmology service - no eye service - for more than 12 months. Some 2,300 individuals are on the waiting list, including hundreds of children who have never been seen. Hundreds more are adults with glaucoma, who have either never been seen or are awaiting follow-up treatment and, in some cases, may be facing blindness. The HSE has advertised the permanent post on a temporary basis, making it difficult, if not impossible, to fill it, an…

Why was it advertised on a temporary basis?

A Cheann Comhairle, we are talking about the health service.

It is an absolutely excellent hospital. I worked there for 21 years.

I made sure it was not transferred.

A Cheann Comhairle, that is not an acceptable answer.

Maybe the Taoiseach would get an answer for us.

A Cheann Comhairle, this motion of confidence-----

A Cheann Comhairle, this motion of confidence is a cynical political manoeuvre. A motion of no confidence has not been lodged and we have seen no details of such a motion. This procedure is unprecedented in this House and has more to do with the presidential election on Friday week. The culture of broken promises - making promises and commitments in the full knowledge they will not be kept - is undermining trust and confidence in politics and politicians. This will have to stop or it will undermine the very fabric …

I get an extra minute, a Cheann Comhairle, thank you. In the 2024 general election campaign, promises and commitments were made and have been reneged on. The Tánaiste promised that a maximum childcare payment of €200 per month would come into force within 100 days of the new Government. That has not been done, it is not in the budget and there has been no mention of it or of a public childcare service. The carer's means test was to be abolished and that too has been reneged on. A commitment to introduce a weekly co…

I will be opposing this motion.

It is accepted that persons with disabilities and their families face a much higher cost of living than people generally. A Government-commissioned report prepared by Indecon in 2021 confirmed this. It reported the additional cost at between €9,500 and €12,000 per annum. Research by the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice put the additional cost at about €244 per week. A study this year by the Economic and Social Research Institute showed that households with disabled persons face significant financial burden…

I respectfully ask the Tánaiste to reflect on the decision to reduce the VAT rate for the hospitality industry. On mature reflection, the Government might reverse this totally baseless and unbelievable decision. The State is proposing to gift millions of euro to a very small number of very large and very profitable businesses. I suggest that the Government fell for a fierce lobbying campaign that was effectively a scam. There is no crisis in the hospitality industry. Small local cafés and restaurants have a legitim…

Huge profits.

Bring in a targeted measure.

The Government is proposing to spend €681 million on what is clearly an unnecessary and wasteful cut. At the same time, the Government has raised tax on PAYE workers, reneged on its commitment to abolish the means test for carers and reneged on its commitment for a weekly cost-of-living disability payment. The Government has cut all cost-of-living supports in the budget. There is no second tier of child benefit to tackle child poverty or no maximum of €200 per month for child care costs. Very profitable fast-food g…

Abolish it.

Nonsense.

The disabled person's grant scheme and the housing adaptation scheme are vital elements in ensuring that older people and disabled persons can remain in their homes for as long as possible and enjoy a better quality of life. These grants also support employment and small builders. Tipperary County Council has stopped taking grant applications, effectively meaning that no work can be done for nearly six months. These are essential works like level-access showers, stair lifts and downstairs bedrooms. Tipperary County…

This is a budget of broken promises. In the run-up to the general election, all parties promised the abolition of the means test for the carer's allowance. The public believed this would be done in the first 100 days of the new Government or, at the very least, in its first budget. That was a promise reneged on in this budget. This means that thousands of carers are locked out of getting the allowance. Into the bargain, carers who are local authority tenants will pay €2 out of the €10 increase in carer's allowance …