As the Minister of State is aware, Stobart Air ceased trading at the weekend. The 480 staff learned of the closure and liquidation of the company on Saturday morning and flights were halted immediately. On Monday, The Irish Times reported that Nordica, the Estonian state-owned airline, offered to take on the Kerry-Dublin route. Connectivity from Donegal is needed for work, tourism and medical appointments. The airport there is a vital piece of infrastructure and is now sitting fully equipped but unused. The Departm…

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak in this debate. I want to support this important Bill. There is no doubt it is needed and that the ongoing speculation and profiteering on land values is disgusting and should be addressed. The political system has always made it so and that is why this Bill should be supported in order to try to curtail the political system making speculation profitable. The political system has always hidden behind the single judgment of the Supreme Court and never challenged it in order…

Donegal is the forgotten county. I have said this to the Taoiseach many times before. There we are, up in the north-west of Ireland, happy to be living in the most beautiful county in the country but despairing at how we have been treated by successive Governments. The people of Donegal are making their voices heard now. They are making their voices heard here today. They are harnessing the power of social media and media to say the Government cannot ignore them any longer. There cannot be one rule for Dublin homes…

Why does he need to check with the Attorney General?

He is reported as having said that. Perhaps he will clarify the matter in his response because I will be glad to hear it. I do not believe the Attorney General has any role in this. Now that the scandal is on a national scale, what will the Taoiseach do? We need 100% redress. An amnesty in mortgage repayments while remediation works are taking place is the only option. Earlier, in response to Deputy McDonald, the Taoiseach asked 100% of what was she calling for. What people are calling for is 100% redress and no co…

I thank the Taoiseach. I am glad the Taoiseach put it officially on the record today what happened last week at the meeting because it is important that it is on the record that everybody knows. The Taoiseach stated last week as well - it has been widely reported that the Taoiseach said he would address it but he has not in his response - that he had to talk to the Attorney General about it. What is the role of the Attorney General? I believe the Attorney General has no role and that will be a deflection. The Taois…

Not agreed. I acknowledge that the Government has arranged for a discussion on the Stobart Air situation on Thursday. In doing that, however, it has cut the debate on fishing. I want that to be addressed because-----

That is okay. I thank the Minister of State.

I will pick up where I left off on the Maritime Jurisdiction Bill 2021 before the recess. It is interesting that there can be so much media and public interest in some legislation and tumbleweed around others. I suppose it behoves the Government to make noise about certain Bills and to hope that others will slip under the radar of experts and activists. This is a really important Bill. It aims to consolidate our maritime jurisdiction legislation and provide for updates relating to recent international law developme…

I am sharing time with Deputies Harkin, McNamara and Fitzmaurice. I am happy to speak in support of this motion. It has been a great day for the campaigners from Donegal and the rest of the north west - a large turnout and support for the rally in Dublin, discussions during Leaders' Questions and now this motion. However, the reality is that we should not be here. We should not have had to force buses full of people to travel down to the Oireachtas to be heard. We should not have families sharing their terror and t…

Stobart Air ceased operating over the weekend and it was the operator of the public service obligation, PSO, routes from Dublin to Kerry and Donegal for Aer Lingus. Aer Lingus has stepped in to ensure the international routes are filled and we have now heard an Estonian airline has taken the Dublin to Kerry route but has left Donegal behind. We must ask how the Department was not aware of a potential problem in the first place. In addition, many people are now left without a service, and many of those were using Do…

I thank the Minister of State for her response. It is interesting that she noted that "the market has already moved to fill some of the lost routes". If that is what we are depending on, then we are in bother straight away. I also note the Minister of State said a move had been made to make the PSO service happen. That is good, and I hope it will happen in weeks rather than anything else. There is some foresight in seeking to run the tender for the next four years in tandem. I hope that happens because, in reality,…

My constituency office in Donegal is inundated with calls from anxious people who have had to apply for or renew medical cards. With the systems down due to the cyberattack, it is very frustrating and worrying for people, and they are not even applying for medical cards. As a GP, the Tánaiste will be aware that there is a facility available through GP surgeries to issue medical cards in emergency circumstances. Many GPs are not aware of that and my office has to tell them they can do it. I would ask the Tánaiste an…

I am sharing time with Deputy Connolly. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to contribute today on these important statements. Many Members may be familiar with the Charlie Mackesy image and quote: What's the bravest thing you've ever said? asked the boy. "Help" said the horse. The line is from the oft-shared, quoted and Covid-times best-seller, The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse . Some Ministers, unfortunately, are partial to sharing these types of quotes blissfully unaware, apparently, of the ac…

It is a pity these are just statements and not us debating emergency legislation to address local authorities’ failure to provide appropriate accommodation for Travellers. I listen to those who say "Nothing about us without us" so I reached out to a Traveller woman named Anne from Cork to get input from the community most affected by recent reports. On 24 May the Ombudsman for Children published a scathing report on conditions at a site in Cork. After three years of investigative work, the Ombudsman for Children fo…

It is interesting, as the Bill is being discussed, to listen to the debate around fishing, and what has happened to our fishing industry. I know the Minister is probably fed up with it but this legislation does not specifically cover fishing or the fishing industry. It is, however, a very important part of our whole maritime resource, which needs to be addressed and looked at. It outlines historically how the State has looked at the maritime resource over the years. There is no doubt that fishing, as an example of …

I propose the adjournment.

I thank the Acting Chair for the opportunity to contribute on our motion on national maternity services and I would like to commend my colleague, Deputy Catherine Connolly, and her staff Béibhinn and Rachel, on their work on the motion. I was very happy to put my name to the motion to call on the Government to publish a time-bound and comprehensive implementation plan for the remaining years of the 2016-26 strategy. It is 2021, three years since we voted to repeal the eighth amendment and nine years since Savita Ha…

I was wondering if we would have an opportunity to speak on this matter. I want to mark my opposition to what the Government is doing in its proposals. My reasons for doing so differ from those that other Members have set out. The Government has been too quick to reopen. It is doing so to get publicity and a pat on the back. We should have waited for another month or so before reopening. We have to put measures in place that will make the Government row back a bit and require it to consult the Dáil, as it should. T…

I fully support the Bill and what it intends to do. I pay tribute to Deputy Doherty for bringing it forward because it is necessary and important to do so. The Bill intends to ensure that the Central Bank is informed by insurance companies on the effect of the personal injury requirements on insurance. We all know that insurance is a statutory requirement that everybody needs to have but, in reality, insurance companies use it as an excuse. As soon as a claim becomes possible, they try to get out of it. That is the…