I am disgusted at the recent arson attacks. Attacks like these are devastating for a community to witness and they do not reflect the feelings of a community, only the hate of a handful of individuals. These individuals claim to care about the safety of a community, while, at the same time, they are burning its buildings to the ground. The only thing these people care about is spreading hate and igniting violence. The justification of their actions as being in a community’s interest is disgraceful and disingenuous …

I would like to echo the words of the Ceann Comhairle in respect of Deputy Collins. It is very true and important. I thank the Minister of State for the opportunity to speak to her on the Bill and I thank Deputy Ward for tabling it. I fully support this legislation for the regulation and reform of CAMHS under the Mental Health Act 2001. I am extremely disappointed with the Government's amendment, which, as other speakers have outlined, is to delay the second reading of this Bill by nine months, which effectively de…

I am thankful for the opportunity to speak on the extremely important topic of healthcare provision in rural communities. I start by welcoming the opening of the new Ballyshannon Community Hospital yesterday. This is great news for the people of south Donegal, who have suffered from a lack of healthcare services for many years. A new hospital equipped to provide professional services for older people in south Donegal, north Sligo and north Leitrim is certainly welcome and well overdue. Unfortunately, however, there…

On behalf of the Independent Group I support the calls which are being made here for a debate on the Children's Rights Alliance annual report card which is important in terms of responsibility for the mental health of our children. It is very important we have such a debate and it is in this House that this should be discussed and addressed. I echo those calls which have been made in that regard. It is also vitally important that we debate the ongoing situation in Gaza and that it should be on the agenda again this…

People whose homes are affected by defective blocks are stuck between the banks, which say mortgageability over remediated properties is dependent on certification by engineers, valuers, surveyors and others, and engineers who have raised issues over certifying based on the remediation options that are outlined in the Government scheme. This leaves property owners in an impossible situation. These concerns must be addressed. The Government needs to commit to a cross-sectoral response to the issue of mortgageability…

People whose homes are affected by defective blocks have already waited years too long for the response they need and deserve.

What steps is the Government going to take to address the mortgageability of remediated homes?

I express my solidarity with the people of Ukraine and condemn Russia's unprovoked and devastating attack on a peaceful nation two years ago. I also acknowledge the people across Ireland who welcomed those fleeing the conflict into their communities and joined the call for a peaceful end to this horrific war. I encourage Russia and Ukraine to come to the table and seek a peace agreement to put an end to the violence and unnecessary deaths of thousands. I highlight, however, the difference of response from Europe to…

I am comparing and contrasting the European response to what is happening-----

-----and it is perfectly legitimate to do that.

It is about the European response we have had. There is no doubt the war in Ukraine is horrible and abominable, but likewise, the war in Gaza is the same. During this period, Italian companies sold arms worth almost €120 million to Israel, on average around €12 million per year. More recent reports show that German defence export approvals to Israel had risen nearly tenfold last year compared with the year before. This is appalling as well. European countries have directly funded a collective punishment of 2.3 mill…

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on what is an important issue for me and my constituents. For those who are not from a fishing community, it can be hard to understand how much of a negative impact the EU and Brexit have had and the devastating downturn these communities have experienced in recent decades. Killybegs was once known as a very prosperous town, with the herring running free, as the famous song goes. It used to be a place where businesses thrived and work was easy to come by. The fishing seaso…

We still do not have anything.

Killybegs was in decline long before Brexit. The Minister should know that.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion to reform the television licence fee model. I fully support the motion and its calls to scrap the unfair television licence fee with immediate effect and invest Exchequer funding into a platform-neutral media fund, which would support public service media content production and the activities of commercial, local and community providers, along with RTÉ and TG4. While the television licence fee may be an afterthought for some, for many people in this country it is yet…

This question relates to the delivery of the National Development Plan 2021-2030, particularly projects in County Donegal. What projects are there, how is the delivery is going and how will it be achieved?

All those projects are welcome and badly wanted. In the update report on Project Ireland 2040 annual report in 2022, Donegal did not receive a mention in terms of progress and how things are going. I think that is worrying in terms of the delivery of these projects. In the 2022 regional report, there were only three mentions of Donegal projects in total. On the projects that are referenced in the report, there are the projects the Minister has mentioned. There is also the Donegal group B sewerage scheme and wastewa…

I thank the Minister for the response. He referred to the Dungloe to Glenties section of the N56. There is also an important section from Mountcharles to Killybegs. It is important for the port of Killybegs, for renewable energy and for future developments there. That section would be important. It is not actually included in the plan at the moment. When will a review take place in order that projects could be added, if possible?

Last week a Garda station in Donegal was forced to hold a man with severe mental health issues for 12 hours as there were no GPs available to assess him and sign the necessary forms to allow him to be admitted to hospital. This was not only unfair to the man being held but also to the gardaí who were unable to do anything else while this man was in their care. They were forced to ring 12 different GPs but none was available. Garda resources are very limited in rural communities so gardaí are not in a position to be…

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the Misuse of Drugs (Cannabis Regulation) Bill 2022. I thank Deputy Gino Kenny and People Before Profit for bringing forward this legislation. I fully support this Bill, which will decriminalise the possession of small amounts of cannabis for personal use. Treating the possession of small amounts of cannabis as an offence is nonsensical and frankly ridiculous, and I believe the majority of the public agrees as well. Not only that but the criminalisation of people who ar…