I thank the Minister for the update. There is no appeals mechanism in place for anyone who applies for the primary medical certificate because the appeals board resigned over a year ago, citing the unworkable nature of the scheme. No action has been taken since. Sometimes when you look at something like this, there is complete inequality in the system. People who are on the existing schemes, the mobility allowance and the motorised transport scheme are benefiting but new entrants cannot apply for those schemes. The…

I do not doubt the Minister's commitment but we need to move it on. I would like to quote from Peter Tyndall's report: The reports published by the Ombudsman since 2012 highlight the same issues over and over again. I am very concerned that the issues identified appear to have effectively been ignored and that nine years later, there is no evidence of any real progress that would serve to enhance the lives of those for whom these schemes were intended to assist with their daily lives. This is of huge concern to me.…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion which is timely and I thank the Rural Independent Group for tabling it. It follows the Regional Group's motion last week which was unopposed by the Government. It set out a template for how to deal with the energy crisis and the energy price crisis that we have. There is much rhetoric and talk about these issues. We have to speak about real action. Last week I said to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, that we produced a document and set of proposals that could be a te…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill. In the previous Government, I worked in the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. We were involved in the online advisory group, which I chaired. I know there is a difficult task ahead to try to rein in cyberbullying and make sure we put in place legislation that is not just valid in this country but can be used along with international law to make sure that cyberbullying and all that goes with that is curtailed on a global scale. In this regar…

We might as well talk about Galway now after Tipperary. I raise the issue of the increase in costs that community groups are suffering under at the moment. With the increasing fuel and insurance costs coming home to roost for every community group, they are going to find it very hard to continue providing their services in community areas unless there is recognition by the Department that additional funding is required. The object of the exercise is to make sure they continue to provide the services.

I thank the Minister of State and acknowledge that a lot of support has been going into community groups over the years. It is important this continues. With the unprecedented level of increase that is happening in trying to keep community groups and facilities open and running between heating, lighting, insurance and the cost of buying materials to maintain these facilities, it is important that additional funding is made available as part of the cost-of-living element of the upcoming budget. This would ensure the…

I thank the Minister of State for the encouraging words. I will state again the importance of what the Department of Rural and Community Development has been doing for community groups throughout the country. It has been the backbone of the revival of a lot of parishes where they had facilities but did not have the wherewithal to get them running and back into use. We now see a lot of that. I have seen it right across my own constituency, where pristine facilities are now in place, and the question is how we keep t…

The school bus service is in disarray at present due to a decision that was well-intentioned but has had unintended consequences. It has left many parents without the transport for their children to go to school that they had in previous years. Yesterday evening I received a call from the principal of a school with an ASD unit where transport for pupils has been approved but is not now available. Four children will be withdrawn from that school. It is a rural school that has an ASD unit. The service will fall if a …

I want to thank everyone who contributed to this debate. I also want to thank all my colleagues in the Regional Group for the work that went into this. In addition, want to acknowledge the work that Deputy Naughten, who is not here today, put into it, as well as Ms Cáit Nic Amhlaoibh in our office. Some people get passionate about things we believe in. I believe that we put much effort into tabling a Private Members’ motion that sets out things that can be done in the short, medium and long term. We all have ambiti…

I welcome the opportunity to discuss Irish Water. I accept the fact that it needs to be put into a single entity and that it be separated out in order that it can have full responsibility for what it does and that we, as elected Members, have an opportunity to question its performance, its spending and the value for money it gets out of that. There will be an obligation on Irish Water to appear before the Committee of Public Accounts and other committees from time to time, which is welcome. We need to make sure tha…

I am delighted to get the opportunity to speak on the resolution the Minister has brought before the House today. As a person who is from Tuam and who went to school in Tuam, this is an issue that is close to my heart in many ways. It has created a sense of a stain on or shadow over Tuam as a town. Tuam is a very good town. It is the capital town in our county of Galway and has the finest people living there. While I agree that the Minister needs to proceed with this effort to appoint a director, one thing is most …

I add my voice of concern to the fact that so many of these amendments are coming in at such a late stage and are very much outside the scope of the original Bill. At last week's Business Committee meeting, we allowed an extra hour for discussion and debate on the Bill but that was before these amendments came in. There is a case to be answered regarding why this is being done in such a ham-fisted way. I agree with the amendments to the Valuation Acts and to short-term lettings. I also agree we need to do something…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute on this legislation. When we are talking about rent reviews, we must discuss several aspects. Before I go any further, I must state that I have a vested interest. I have properties that I have rented out. We do, however, need to regulate rents. We need to set standards that are fair for both the renter and landlord. A rent authority would probably be a good mechanism whereby someone with a fair-minded view could look at this and make sure that the rents being set are affordab…

Will the Taoiseach outline the Government's plan to deliver the infrastructure necessary to develop the Atlantic economic corridor as a counterbalance to the over development on the east coast? The provision of wastewater facilities, new modes of transport, broadband, and health facilities need to be planned and delivered so that we can cope with the existing and projected increases in population. They would also offer the opportunities for offshore energy development off the west coast. We must be ready to maximis…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute on this important issue. History has shown, since we have started taking in asylum seekers, that the conditions under which they have been living are not right. Human rights issues have not been addressed. We have placed people and families in congregated settings. For whatever reason, we have put them in buildings where they live in dormitories. They are isolated from communities. It takes a lot of time to get them to a stage where they are accepted and integrated into commu…

I welcome this opportunity to discuss what is the most pressing issue for many families and young people. I heard many people talking tonight about what is wrong, what the problems are and what people are suffering. I come across these aspects in my constituency. Many people might think this is a city-based problem. In fact, it is experienced right across rural Ireland as well. Young people are not getting a chance to build their own houses or to get mortgages to buy houses. They are stuck in this bind. At the othe…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. I want to concentrate on planning first and what is really happening in that area. Taking County Galway, we have just passed the county development plan. It has been operating for two weeks. We are being told now, and it is being put out there in the newspapers, that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, will be producing a review of rural housing and the strategy for planning and development in that regard. This creates unc…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this very important matter. I compliment my colleague on the Joint Committee on Disability Matters, Deputy Cairns, on tabling this motion. It follows on from a motion the Regional Group tabled a number of months ago. It is important we keep this matter on the agenda. Since this debate began, we have heard the Minister of State say that the Indecon report set out that the cost of living, above and beyond normal living, for people with disabilities is in the region of up to €12,0…

I wish to raise the orthopaedic waiting lists in the Galway region. Last Monday, a young man came to my office. He is 27 years old and is married with two children. He has been working, his wife is working and they have a mortgage. Unfortunately, he had an accident and he is waiting for treatment. He tried to continue to work but he had to give up the work five weeks ago. He was getting some painkillers for the pain. He was told when he was getting the injections that they would last up to six months. The pain left…

There are plans to improve waiting lists and money is going into the system as if nothing else is happening. I have a concern about all this money going in on the basis that, at the end of the day, it is not getting to the end user or patient. There is significant problem with staff morale. Nurses are leaving the public health service because they are completely disillusioned with what is happening. We have fewer staff available to deal with patients on the wards. There is a daft idea relating to primary care centr…