There is no other sector in this country that would be asked to move money from the top to the bottom and be expected to accept it. Our teachers would not accept it, nor would our nurses or other medical staff but our very own Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine thinks that the farmers of Ireland, using our natural resources to the best of their ability, should accept convergence. They should accept money being taken from the good, productive farmer and given to where it can never be of any benefit. For …

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward the motion, which I will support as well as our amendment, tabled by the Regional Group. I wish I could say I welcome the fact I am going to speak on mental health for the tenth time in my 14-month political career. I commend the medical staff in Wexford who deal with mental health, particularly those in CAMHS and at Wexford General Hospital, who are all under severe pressure because of the staffing levels and the inadequate resources received. I thank the Minister of State fo…

I thank the Rural Independent Group for bringing forward this motion. On Monday, the new plan for rural development, Our Rural Future, was launched. I welcome that the Government recognised the need for a plan. Many of the measures contained within it are badly needed in rural Ireland. I want to dwell on one particular problem. The national planning framework envisages a Karl Marx policy of corralling and forcing people to live in high-density, ghettoised settings with no infrastructure to support them. The county …

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me the opportunity to raise this issue with the Minister. Dentistry and orthodontics, obviously, play important roles in keeping people healthy. People who have problems with their teeth and gums can find they lead to other, associated physical problems but they can also lead to psychological and esteem issues, particularly for young people. From the point of view of physical health, we know the importance of looking after our teeth. We must also remember the cosmetic reason…

I am very disappointed that somebody at the Minister of State's level would come into this House and restate what we can read on a website. These parents want to know when their children will receive treatment. As the Minister of State knows perfectly well, waiting lists have not fallen in years, so I do not know where the expectation comes from that they will definitely come down. I have information that was revealed in 2019 in a parliamentary question tabled by the current Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, to…

Insurance reform is a buzzword which has been thrown around quite a lot in recent years. I have certainly heard plenty about it in my 13 months in the Dáil. There has been no shortage of talk about insurance reform but a major shortage of action. I welcome the fact that the Regional Group has the opportunity today to take action. We must take these issues by the scruff of the neck and make the necessary changes. The aim of the amendment Bill presented today by the Regional Group is to act as a deterrent to those ma…

I wish to ask the Minister about the level of financial support his Department will provide to Rosslare Europort to initiate the various studies needed to support an application for Rosslare to act as a service port for the wind energy sector off the east coast and when the support will be forthcoming.

With all due respect, it was the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, who was on South East Radio on 28 January. He said he understood that there was a much needed, urgent investment required for Rosslare. He gave an assurance on the radio to Wexford people and to the country. Rosslare is of national importance. He said there would be significant investment in Rosslare Europort because it is strategically critical for the country and it would potentially be of benefit to the region to have the economic centre and activity.…

I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate the understanding she appears to have. The reality is that the Carbon Trust has said that Rosslare Europort is the preferred port for an offshore wind farm construction base. There is no competition. It is the most strategic port. With the knowledge and understanding that the Minister and Minister of State have, I am a little dismayed to think that the potential in Rosslare may be lost because this will ultimately go to the UK. If we do not give the urgent attention and i…

Deputy Tóibín and I will speak for five minutes each. I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on the Bill. I thank the Deputies who brought it forward. I will be supporting it. When dealing with such sensitive issues, it is of the utmost importance to listen to those who are affected most by whatever the issue happens to be. In this case, I have listened to adoptees and read numerous emails from them since being elected. They outline the difficulties they face in their lives due to the absence of their biologica…

I thank both the Minister and Minister of State for attending this afternoon. I thank the Minister, Deputy Harris, for his time earlier this morning for a meeting on the technological university for the south east. It is an exciting project which I am passionate about. It will be exciting to see that develop over the next 12 months. Hopefully, we will have announcement on it in January. I concur with Deputy Lowry on the innovative response and how both the Minister and Minister of State are driving the Department. …

I begin by reminding the Minister that we are also top of the European league table for the number of days for which businesses and society have been closed under Covid restrictions. We are up to approximately 172 days now, compared with Denmark on 15 days. Yesterday it was announced that we have missed yet another vaccine target, when last week's goal of administering 100,000 vaccines was not achieved. This morning in the House, the Tánaiste admitted that there are problems. The issues are reportedly due to the ch…

I welcome the opportunity to speak as we are about to celebrate International Women's Day on Monday, on the effect of the Covid-19 crisis on women. Often, when we stand to speak on a particular issue in this House, we do so to raise a criticism, grievance or problem. Today, however, I am going to take the opportunity to talk as much as I can about the positive advances in the lives of women that have been made over recent decades. I begin by pointing to the position of women in politics in an Irish context. Forty y…

Rosslare Europort is one of Ireland's most important pieces of infrastructure, particularly in the context of Brexit. In the early 1900s, the British constructed Rosslare Port having identified its strategic location as being the most accessible and closest in terms of distance to mainland Europe and the UK. Despite its strategic importance, successive Governments have failed or neglected to make proper investment in this country's most strategic port. Politicians holding senior political posts in various Governmen…

I thank the Minister. I hope the ownership issue will be the last thing at which he looks because it is the least relevant. He stated that nobody could have expected the figures to grow exponentially from 1 January but I repeat that everybody in the industry expected that the figures would grow in that way. The only people who did not expect it, it appears, were those in the IMDO. I am glad to hear the Minister confirm that he is looking at this issue but a decision is needed imminently. There is a requirement for …

I have written to the Minister on a number of issues, so I ask him to respond in writing and that he makes it a priority. I have four and a half minutes to convey to the Minister that he is allowing the EU to destroy Ireland's fishing industry. I want him to fight for the fishermen and women of this country, particularly those of the fishing communities in Kilmore and Duncannon who are dependent on the industry for their very survival. From 1 April, Irish fishing boats will no longer be able to land their catch in …

As I address the issue of protecting the euro in this debate on the Counterfeiting Bill 2020, there is no doubt as to its importance in protecting businesses from interference by the production of counterfeit money in whatever currency, euro or otherwise. By passing the Bill, we will give effect to implementation of the EU directives as required by EU member states, with Ireland being the last to do so. It is, without doubt, a necessity to safeguard the euro from the threat of counterfeit notes. Protecting the euro…

The relevance is that we need measures other than anti-counterfeiting measures to protect the currency. I have not departed from the subject matter much, if the Acting Chairman does not mind. The people of this country have paid a heavy and enduring price for the Government's mistakes. I can hear the story of the elephant and the fly ringing in my ears. Those who put one in the dung are not always one's enemy and those who take one out of it are not always one's friend. While I will support the Bill, I want the Gov…

I was to share with my colleague, Deputy Lowry, but I do not know whether he is here. I will keep going and we will see. I wish to raise an issue relevant to several of my constituents. Many Deputies in the House have similar constituency issues. I heard the Minister relay that cohort 7 would be revised. I am somewhat concerned about who is actually putting the list together. The reason is that I have a great many constituents with serious underlying conditions making representations to me and asking me to represen…

I will ask questions but the answers may be given in writing. Today, I want to start by wishing a very special young boy named Gavin from County Wexford a happy 18th birthday. I hope that he, his dad, two brothers and sister have a lovely celebration, not just because it is his 18 birthday but because he almost did not make it as he has mental health problems. I congratulate his dad and family, who have assisted Gavin in every way possible for the last number of years. I must mention the staff in the child and adol…