Ah, stop.

You are afraid of Fianna Fáil-----

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. Failed Government policies have left universities in Cork with no capacity for innovation and research beyond what they already have. UCC and Munster Technological University, MTU, do unbelievable work in research and development. At a time when we should be funding them to do more and creating more capacity, the Government has not invested enough in them. Students cannot think beyond next week because they are worried about accommodation, the cost of living and thei…

I would like to come in on my Question No. 104

I will take the 60 seconds, if you do not mind.

Last night we saw an initiative in Cork City Council called the clean air night. While it is a good idea and perhaps a good initiative in getting people aware about reducing air pollution, there are only three air quality monitors on the northside of Cork, in Montenotte, Mallow and Gurranabraher. There are six on the southside. I do not think six are enough on the southside, but certainly three are not enough on the northside. We have a situation where a man from Glanmire who has asthma has contacted my office. He …

Tánaiste -----

Right now, my wife is in a primary care centre and she cannot get an appointment.

Right now she is there. She is on to me now. She is in a primary care centre in Gurranabraher and she cannot get an appointment for our sick child.

So do not tell me about it. She is up there now.

Talking about primary care centres. I have a sick child at home and cannot get a GP appointment and you tell me about primary care.

Just over two minutes is not enough time to do justice to the need to discuss the atrocities taking place in Palestine. As children wake up without parents, mothers lose their entire families and worlds, and communities get wiped out, this Government has an important role to play. Israel is creating an entire generation of parentless children and childless parents. It is not killing its enemies. Rather, it is murdering innocent children. Nearly 50% of those killed in Palestine since the horrific events of 7 October…

I will just finish with this. Some 25,000 people have been murdered. If that is not genocide, what is? I implore the Taoiseach, from my heart, to please lead this Government and the Irish people. We will support him if he stands up in respect of this matter.

Last February, it was confirmed to me by the Minister with responsibility for housing that Cork City Council was considering a regeneration park for the Tarry Path in Mayfield. In December, it was confirmed to me that there has been no update on this. The Mayfield area is in desperate need of regeneration. We have heard today about the impact on people of mould and damp in Oliver Bond House in Dublin. The same is true in Cork in areas such as Mayfield, Knocknaheeny, Noonan's Road and Baker's Road. They are in despe…

Last year, 88 families and 166 children entered emergency accommodation in Cork city. In April, after the Government cruelly lifted the eviction ban, 32 children were forced to leave their homes and to sleep in a hotel, almost double the number in March. Cork city Accommodation Placement Service saw a 26% increase in the number of presentations, and a total of 938 individuals. It saw a 49% increase in 2022, with more than 5,000 repeat representations. Can the Minister of State please ask the Minister the straightfo…

That is because hundreds of thousands went away after the financial crash. The Minister is including those people.

The Minister quoted figures on people taking up apprenticeships and stated it was a high number. I will give the Minister a figure that was recently released to me. There are only 83 apprentices who are at phase 7 in Cork. There are 14 electricians and 16 plumbers. Cork needs 39,105 houses by 2028 but there will be 16 plumbers and 14 electricians, if that is what we are turning out. These are the facts, because I got them from the Department. These are the facts that I am telling the Minister here. I have been told…

No, Minister. These are parliamentary questions.

You cannot stand there now. These are parliamentary questions.

In phase 7 there are only 83 people.