I, too, welcome the opportunity to speak on this important issue. Where energy prices are concerned, the biggest problem is that we do not know who owns what. I will first address the issue of wind farms. Down my part of the country, there are six proposals to build wind farms near where I live. That is all great for green energy, providing Government policy and meeting our climate action measures but the local people are not very happy. They are not happy with the fact that the landscape will be destroyed with win…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this subject, which has an impact on all families. As I listened to the debate yesterday, and again today, I thought back to my own time, when our children were small. We were lucky enough to be able to build a house in rural Ireland beside my parents and brother. Childminding was not as big an issue then because we had family support around us when our children were small. The children could be minded by my grandmother, my sister-in-law next door, or whoever. It worked well. T…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important subject for many people right across the country, including in my constituency of Galway East. We have many self-employed people who are the backbone of our economy. The problem is that people who are self-employed, who might have one, two or three people working for them in construction, hospitality or in whatever sector, and who are working in and managing all this, do not get illness benefit if they fall ill. They should be allowed to pay the higher level of P…

Deputies Cronin, Conway-Walsh and Mitchell, who are sharing time, are next.

I wish to get some information on the all-island rail review, which has been published in draft. An implementation plan is also being prepared for its execution. I have a particular interest in the western rail corridor, north from Athenry through Tuam and on to Claremorris. It is phase 2. It was shelved back in 2011 due to austerity measures but is now part of the all-island rail review. I want to acknowledge the work that the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan did on this and to wish him well in his decision today. When…

I, too, welcome the motion and thank Deputies Tully and Ryan for bringing it forward. They are colleagues of mine on the disability matters committee. The motion follows on from one the Regional Group put forward a number of weeks ago, in which we sought for the abolition of means-testing for the carer's allowance. I want to recap some of what was said during the debate on that motion. More than 500,000 family carers, or one in eight people in the population, are regular unpaid carers. Family carers are the backbon…

I commend Cáit, our administrator, on putting together this Private Members’ motion and Deputy Naughten and others who have contributed a huge amount to putting this motion together. As the Regional Group of Independent TDs, we are seen to have a common and sensible approach to everything. This nature restoration law has caused huge anxiety. The way it was introduced and presented caused a great deal of confusion. It also lent itself to those who wanted to scaremonger to do so. We have arrived at a situation where …

I want to raise the issue of affordable housing schemes. Galway County Council is finding it very difficult to put schemes in place in towns such as Tuam, which is the largest county town, Ballinasloe, Loughrea, Gort or Athenry. This is on the basis that the figures do not stack up. Affordability schemes will be in Claregalway, Oranmore and Galway city. The structure by which the scheme has been drafted sets out density levels which are then linked to the supports that come from the Government. The cost of land, th…

I thank the Taoiseach and I acknowledge that Clarinbridge and Craughwell have been given an allocation to put in wastewater treatment plants and not before time. The reality is there is a list of 30 more similar centres in Galway. When the Minister, Deputy O'Brien first announced the funding call it was three years ago. It was only in December that an announcement was made as to where the money would go. This type of long drawn-out process has to stop. We need to take it seriously in the sense that if we are to pro…

I met representatives of the INTO this morning in Buswells Hotel where they were doing a presentation. I have also had calls from many school principals about the capitation grant they are getting. It is €200 per child, and it has been at this level for 13 years. The ancillary services grant is also dated. It is true to say the Government has provided once-off funding post Covid to help these schools but they are now at a stage where they need the capitation and ancillary grants to be increased. This is because the…

There is no more time for debate on this amendment.

Amendments Nos. 2 to 5, inclusive, and Nos. 13 to 18, inclusive, are related. Amendment No. 3 is a physical alternative to No. 2. Amendment No. 5 is a physical alternative to No. 4. Amendment No 14 is a logical alternative to No. 13. Amendment No. 16 is a physical alternative to No. 15. Amendment No. 18 is a physical alternative to No. 17. Amendments Nos. 2 to 5, inclusive, and Nos. 13 to 18, inclusive, are related and may be discussed together.

Earlier we had a debate about carers and carer's allowance and how carers need to be treated better. We have a situation whereby somebody applying for carer's allowance cannot work more than 18 hours a week. People are participating on schemes which require them to work 19.5 hours, for instance, the rural social scheme which is a social activation scheme, not a job activation scheme. It is important we allow people to work this extra hour and a half and still qualify for the carer's allowance. It is important, in v…

I, too, welcome the opportunity to speak on this very important subject. When we talk about an increase in resources, I do not believe the increase in resources is actually keeping pace with the demand that is there. It is actually falling behind. I say that because of the number of people who have contacted my office and whom I have met during my clinics who have problems with their special needs children. The problems start when trying to get a diagnosis with the children's disability network teams, CDNTs. Then t…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate. I was reflecting on the fact that this is the first time I have been involved in a debate on this very important issue of neutrality since 2016, when I came into the House first, so I thank People Before Profit for bringing the motion forward. Neutrality has been treasured by our State since its foundation on the basis that we had made a principled decision and it is part of the Constitution that we remain neutral. However, that does not mean we do not engage w…

I call on Deputy Pringle from the Independent Group.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this proposal. I too have a concern that we are pushing the can down the road for another six months. That is of very little use to people who have invested in outdoor facilities and amenities. The hospitality sector and publicans who have made that investment are going from six-month to six-month periods, wondering whether they will have to take things down again or what is going to happen. It is important that we protect business by putting something more permanent in place i…

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward the motion. I have been involved in politics for 20 years, having previously been at council level since 2004, and one of the big issues I have seen with housing, even when we were building houses at the volume that was required, related to how to manage the housing stock we had. I recall, when I was involved in building houses, going back three months later to find some of the houses boarded up. From the very start, therefore, we have started off wrong by putting in place a v…

I ask the Minister for an update on what is happening with Clarin College, Athenry, and the proposed additional accommodation that will be required to meet the demand of first-year students coming this September. I understand that Presentation College, Athenry, is also under severe pressure and that more than 60 students have been left on a waiting list to get into first year. It is urgent. What progress has been made in delivering that accommodation?

At the outset, I must acknowledge that huge investment has gone into education facilities right across the county. The Minister was down there for the opening of the school we are discussing, as well as for that of Presentation College, Athenry. The problem is that there seems to be very short-sighted planning. I am not saying this about the Minister but am making a general comment. I say this because that was only officially opened last year, but this year we are down 60 places. The problem stems from the fact tha…