Yes.

Today marks the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. I know that sexual violence can be, and still is, used as a form of oppression against marginalised groups in our society. Today, I want to send a clear message of solidarity to members of the LGBTQI community, my friends, my family and to everyone who has ever experienced discrimination based on their sexuality or gender identity. It is disappointing that this survey did not ask people whether they identified as a member of a marginali…

The Ceann Comhairle is correct but it was Deputies from Government parties who did not take up their slots. They should not be given them.

Will the Minister of State provide an update on the Glashaboy flood relief scheme for Glanmire, please?

In January of this year after the contracts went to tender for the Glashaboy flood relief works, a commitment was given that construction would start in June. The Minister has said it will be quarter 2 of this year before the contracts are signed and that the work will start before year-end. The people of Glanmire are sick and tired of broken promises from this Government and previous Governments in respect of the protection of their communities. This project has met delay after delay. I recently led a campaign in …

I will.

The Minister of State talks about misinformation. I will give him the truth. In 2016, this work was to be carried out at a cost of €8 million. Now the work is being tendered for an expected €17 million. The cost is actually criminal. It is because of the Government's mismanagement, doddering and failure to deliver flood relief for Glanmire. Not alone has it doubled in value; we also have the many times Glanmire has flooded or been at risk of flooding because the Government has failed. The Minister of State should n…

I say to the Minister of State that €1,200 a year is the reality of the increase in grocery bills faced by ordinary people. That is along with electricity at sky-high rates and rising prices in rent and mortgage repayments and the increases in carbon tax put on ordinary people who are already struggling. People are put to the pins of their collars. But at a time when people need help and when the country is awash with money, why does the Government not step in? In the last six months of 2022, Tesco’s profits in Ire…

Yes.

The Minister says there is a group in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage now prioritising dereliction. The Derelict Sites Act was introduced in 1990, 33 years ago. I will give the Minister some of the figures. There are 1,415 sites on the derelict sites register, with an outstanding €15,424,000 that has not been collected over the years. We believe that figure of 1,400 is only a fraction of the number of derelict sites. To give the Minister more figures, according to the vacant sites register …

Fire brigade staff in Cork have raised concerns with me, Deputy Ó Laoghaire and local councillors on the ground about their ability to ensure there is a proper fire service in Cork. There are currently three pumps in operation in Cork, with 18 crewing on a 24-7 basis. Once there were 18 staff covering a population of 126,000 but they are now expected to cover a population of over 240,000 as a result of the boundary extension of Cork city. Within the same area, they used four full-time pumps. Ballincollig fire stati…

The firefighters have been to the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, numerous times and have still not been able to reach a solution. The firefighters are telling me that they are willing to work with Cork City Council. Billy Crowley, who is one of the firefighters, said they want to resolve this issue. Having retained staff is not going to work in Ballincollig. They need full-time staff with the Ballincollig fire station reopened. Why has Cork City Council been insistent for almost three years on trying to recru…

Will the Minister consider instructing the NTA to delay the closing date for submissions on the BusConnects Cork STC routes pending publication of the traffic data? The NTA plans will have serious consequences for businesses, workers, constituents, communities and people's lives. That is why the publication of the traffic data in advance of the closing date is essential.

To this point, there has been no delay. I have put in a submission. I met representatives of the NTA for two hours this week, and I thank them for that. With Councillors Kevin Collins and Mick Nugent and my personal assistant, we went through the proposal line by line. This plan needs to be credible and the people of Cork need it to work. We want to get people out of their cars, but if we do not get this plan right now, there will be consequences down the line. We are talking about an expenditure of €600 million. O…

It will not be possible without the northern ring road. That is the point.

If this Bill does as it promises, it will be a step forward. However, there is a real disconnect at the moment between SOLAS, ETBs and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. This is causing issues with apprenticeships that do not need to be there. It is making it harder for apprentices to do the vital work they need to do, especially in house building. It is very important that the work on the right licensing and registration is brought up to date. For far too long, these …

It was announced last week that we now have the highest energy prices in Europe. Our cost of housing was found to be 88% higher than the EU average and prices across the board were 40% higher, but wages do not match up. Ireland's low-income earners earn far less than their European counterparts. One in five Irish homes is now behind in paying its gas bills. These people are terrified. They are going into debt with bills stacking up on them and they need help. They need a small bit of support and that is what we are…

Has the Minister of State considered the reintroduction of public service bin collections to reduce the impact of fly-tipping and dumping.

Bin charges have increased by 10% since 2021. People are now facing the prospect of having to pay for their compost to be collected. This flies in the face of the excuses used at the time of imposing bin charges to encourage recycling. The Minister of State just said local authorities have responsibility for waste collection, and one of the reasons it could privatise it is where costs are unreasonably high, and that the power remains with the local authority. If we have local authorities that do not have the fundin…

A waiver should be in place for elderly people and people with disabilities.