Mattie McGrath
Tipperary South · Independent · Ireland
“The loss of the double child benefit payment and other cost-of-living supports has come at a time when families are facing rising bills across every aspect of daily life. Parents are not just paying for education. They are paying more for food, energy, insurance, childcare and gach rud eile.”
“Parents also face substantial bills simply because they are required to buy specific items from a specific supplier. That is not fair and is not a balanced market either. There is no good reason that generic uniforms or PE clothing cannot be used in most cases.”
“Maidir le hUisce Éireann, cad a dhéanfaimid feasta gan uisce? The situation in south Tipperary has reached crisis point. Since January, the Ardfinnan regional water scheme has experienced 58 water supply interruptions, affecting 11,000 customers, while almost 28,000 homes and businesses were placed on a boil water notice in a single week.…”
“Music education is a perfect example. Some schools provide excellent music programmes and opportunities for students to learn instruments and participate in assemblies. Other schools offer very little.”
“I, too, am glad to be able to speak on this motion today. I compliment Páirtí an Lucht Oibre for introducing it. While we often the cost of education in terms of books, uniforms and transport, the reality for many families is that the financial pressures associated with rearing children have never been greater.”
“They say it would be great to have water to be affected by a hosepipe ban. Uisce Éireann is totally out of control. Two weeks ago, the Tánaiste gave me some hope here that the Government might do something. Uisce Éireann is not acting for anybody.”
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“Now some people want to go in there and misbehave and mistreat the receptionists, the security, the other staff and anyone else, even the poor priest administering the last rites. His name will come to me. Something has to be done to tackle that because it is going on in every hospital, especially at the weekends. It was a Friday night when I was there. It should not be happening. I will hand over to my colleague.”
“I sat one night in St. Vincent's public hospital accident and emergency department. My God, it was horrendous for the nurses, the other staff and the elderly patients who were there. They were afraid for their lives. In that case, it was a female patient doing it. Patients who are in psychosis are a different matter but those who are there for drug- or drink-related reasons should not be in there. There should be a special place built for them where they can sleep it off with some limited supervision and be dealt with in some other way. They are making life hell for the nurses, doctors, paramedics and security staff. I do not know how many security staff are needed now in St. Joseph's hospital in Clonmel. When my babies were born there 20 nó 30 bliain ó shin there was no security and everyone was grand.”
“I was in an emergency department one evening lately at a special memorial service for people who have lost babies. I met this gentleman at the door. He was out of his head and abusing everyone and shouting at everyone. There should be a separate place for people who have taken drink or drugs - though not those who are suffering a psychotic attack - and need to attend an emergency department. At the moment they are inside in the emergency departments with a security guard trying to mind them and they upset everyone up and down the corridors. These people should not be brought into accident and emergency departments. They should be brought someplace else and detoxed or hosed down. I will be accused now of being a Methodist. They should not be in accident and emergency departments. They are causing untold grief to other patients.”
“They throw them out of the hospital because it looks like they have help. I want to praise the home helps who are there from the highest heaven. They are angels of mercy in the work they do, flying around in their cars on bad roads and for little payment. They do great work and have such empathy for and engagement with their patients. That has all been cut out now, however. The HSE does not even want them to boil the kettle. This is all HSE policy now. They are not carers any more; they just go in and out. I do not know what they are supposed to do but they do it, in spite of ye. The home help hours are approved but then there is no one to do them and people have to go back into hospitals and clog up the accident and emergency departments. I firmly believe that something must happen with accident and emergency departments.”
“We have oceans of officials there and I do not know what else goes on inside in that cardboard box - that is what it is. A little better but not much better. The hospital is empty. Folamh. Dúnta. Tá an doras locked. It is sad. It saddens me. I have had my argument with the Minister of State over it and I do not want to continue on about it but it is a travesty and an injustice. That hospital should be there for the people of Carrick-on-Suir and the communities of south Kilkenny, east Waterford and parts of Tipperary. Is mór an trua an rud sin . I will move on to the home helps. We have people in hospitals and there are blockages and they cannot go home because they cannot get home helps. We have noticed of late, in the past 18 months, that people have no bother getting approved for home help care but there is no one to do it.”
“Brigid's Hospital in Carrick-on-Suir will be there for centuries to come. It is a solid building. They talk about flooding but that hospital was never flooded in its life. Then they built a cardboard box beside it. That is all it is. You could put your fist through it if you had to. Hey presto, they built it two or three storeys high but it has no lift. If you were building a house for someone in a wheelchair you would have to put in a ramp to make sure it got planning, but they built this with no lift, so we had to put a lift onto it. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, promised us there would be a state-of-the-art diabetic centre, but that is no longer the case. The Minister for Health has stated in replies to parliamentary questions that it is no longer the case. There are no diabetic services now. There is nothing there.”
“It is an awful travesty that our hospital was closed. Consider the funding the families gave and the fundraising with all kinds of walks, hunts and bucket collections so that people who were dying could have some dignity, with palliative care and the wonderful nurses there. The head nurse there was Ms Lonergan, since retired. Her husband, Seán Lonergan, was a senior officer in housing. They were two great public officials. They collected money in buckets outside many a funeral. When I went to funerals I saw them raising money for St. Brigid's hospice care in Carrick-on-Suir. That funding has not been appropriated back. We had more meetings than anything else. The Minister at the time promised there would be a state-of-the-art diabetic centre clinic in the big white elephant there beside it, which is a monstrosity. St.”
“During Covid, the former Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, decided to second the hospital for Covid care. When they no longer wanted it for Covid care, they said it was not fit for patients. I can never get an answer from the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, or from anyone else, as to how it was fit to treat patients during Covid but it was not fit for patients afterwards. It was down to spacing and separation, according to HIQA. The people of Carrick-on-Suir and east Waterford, and indeed south Kilkenny, used that hospital for palliative care. I know that there are extra palliative care beds in Waterford city, but that is no good for people from all over that area who have to go to Clogheen or to Cluain Árann in Tipperary town where there are two hospital beds as well. Is mór an trua é sin.”
“With this lady, Anne Walsh, and her team, one could not ask for better than the care that elderly people, and the not-so-elderly, get there. There are also two palliative care rooms now, which have been supported greatly by the community, with lots of fundraising. By God, do they give it back in spades with the care and dignity their patients receive. We also had St. Vincent's in Tipperary town, which closed a long time ago under a Fianna Fáil Government. We had Our Lady's in Cashel, which went as a hospital. Then there is St. Brigid's. I have to go back to St. Brigid's Hospital in Carrick-on-Suir. It was a wonderful hospital. I could be wrong on the number of beds - I think there were 18 of them. It had three palliative care rooms. It was funded and supported by the people. That funding has not been replaced yet either.”
“I must mention the late Councillor Con Donovan, a Fianna Fáil councillor who taught me a lot about politics. He fought so hard for that hospital. He was on the health committee with the late Jackie Healy-Rae and told many a funny story about the travails around the south eastern health board and the south western health board. It is an excellent hospital. Sr. Áine was there for years and we had Ann Hally as matron, and now we have Anne Walsh as matron and her team. I could not say enough about the role of matron. They do not call them matrons anymore. They have a fancy title now because the word "matron" is taboo. I would say to bring back the matrons and the hospitals would be clean. I say this always.”
“I know I paid a very princely sum of €320 for a consultation and €80 for an X-ray, on top of my insurance. One wonders why people have insurance, but I have no ideological hang-up one way or another. In his speech the Leas-Cheann Comhairle mentioned that people in Kilkenny are so privileged to have a number of district hospitals. He referred to the one in Thomastown, which is a lovely district hospital. He is lucky. I have no doubt that he and the late Bobby Aylward and others fought to retain those. We also had them in Tipperary. We still have an excellent hospital in St. Theresa's in Clogheen. I could not say enough about it. Fuair my own máthair bás ansin 15 bliana ó shin. My own mother died there. My cousins were treated there with palliative care. HIQA was bedevilling the hospital but we got extra money by fighting.”
“Then it continues in the private hospitals. I have no hang-ups for private hospitals. I have been sick recently and I have been in a public hospital mainly, in South Tipperary General, and indeed, in St. Vincent's public. I was there again last week. I had occasion to go to Whitfield last week and Deputy Cullinane was in the Chair when I was speaking. The Deputy spoke earlier giving out about private. Whitfield was packed. What kind of problems would we have if we did not have the private hospitals? We have to have a bit of both. We have to have no ideological hang-ups, as Sinn Féin has, that you cannot have private anything. They are reading from Stalin's little red book, the communist book. They are against everything and want nothing private. The Whitfield was so efficient that morning, last Monday morning week, and so busy.”
“I am delighted to speak on this Bill. Indeed, I was in the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach's chair when the Minister of State was speaking. I always listen to the Minister of State's speeches and learn from them and take them for she is succinct and to the point and not afraid to call a spade a spade. There are many aspects to this Bill but the thrust of it, I suppose, is that we are enabling and putting funds out of stamp duty and other areas towards the insurance companies for them to mitigate the charges to the people paying for the insurance premiums. They might be doing that in some small way but they are milking - high and dry - the insurance customers. We have regulators here for everything and anything. We have the CRU and God knows what else. Why can someone not stop the insurance companies from the gouging?”
“Questions were asked by the former finance spokesman for Fianna Fáil, now Commissioner, when he questioned this on behalf of Mr. Fraher. How is that a businessman from Ireland was abroad and bankrupt and trying to trade abroad and his tax number was being used here? Millions of euro were shovelled through his tax number and tax returns, falsely. How can that stand up in any kangaroo or banana republic if we let that go on? We vote all this money for NAMA here. We vote all this money for all the different overspends and underspends that pass through with glib reference to what we should be doing. It is totally unacceptable. I thank the Chair for allowing me the time this evening.”
“He needs to cop on and know that his responsibility is to this House and to the people of Ireland. I met a person at a function in Buswells Hotel earlier who said that he was doing great duties all over the world. His profound and solemn duty under the Constitution is to be here. This has to be rooted out here. The corporate and white-collar crime is disgusting. It is John Fraher, a Clonmel businessman. His tax number could be used for several years when he was out of the country and had ceased trading. NAMA knows this. The Revenue knows this. The Department of Finance knows this. Who is going to deal with it? I do not expect the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, to deal with it. I do not expect that if the Taoiseach were here today, he would deal with it. It is going on for too long.”
“George Maloney now sits on the regulatory decisions unit of the Central Bank. His profile on the Central Bank website includes that he is included on the current insolvency and enforcement panels for NAMA and is a member of the Revenue Commissioners panel for expert witness and complex bank insolvency arrangements. I question it, my goodness. This is a white-collar crime, and I am calling for all disclosure on every transaction relating to Clonmel Park Hotel and the dissolved partnership after 13 December 2013. They are all fraudulent. How can we have a debate here this evening? The presence of the Taoiseach is vital. Okay, maybe he has to be wherever he is. I have said in the past that he wants to be anywhere bar this Dáil, whether it is Ukraine, the WEF, the World Bank or the COP.”
“John Fraher's tax number in a dissolved partnership over a protracted number of years, related to Clonmel Park Hotel. Things are going on in NAMA and have gone on in NAMA, and history will not be kind to it. However, it will be too late for the taxpayers who are being bled dry here. It is shocking. This is supported by annual Revenue returns submitted by the dissolved partnership and knowingly false returns by NAMA in 2015. It is clearly shocking stuff. The former chairman, Frank Daly, chief executive, Brendan McDonagh, and head of legal, Alan Stewart, are all aware of the above and all are or were NAMA employees. What is going here, that this could go on? It was questioned by the finance spokesman of the Minister of State's party when he was in opposition. He is now a Commissioner.”
“On a number of occasions in this House, I have asked questions about NAMA as did former Deputy, Michael McGrath, in his time as finance spokesperson for the Minister of State's party. On two previous occasions in this House, I raised serious matters relating to the unauthorised use of Mr. John Fraher's personal tax number by NAMA and the Poppyfield Consortium partnership - VAT No. 9540943A - since the dissolution of the partnership on 3 December 2013. That is a most serious thing to happen. This man has been trading in Clonmel for decades. He got into financial difficulties. He went into bankruptcy and moved to England. His tax number continued to be used. I put on the record that Mr. George Maloney, trustee in bankruptcy, appointed at the express request of NAMA, fraudulently used Mr.”
“I thank An Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, Deputy Quaide, for his forbearance and allowing me to speak. I am very disappointed the Taoiseach is not here because this is a huge Vote and a huge amount of funding. There are many different aspects to it, in particular it deals with NAMA and Project Eagle, as was mentioned. There is also funding for the Moriarty tribunal, for which we are paying 30 years later. Some €850 million were supposed to be saved in one area with NAMA and yet we fail to see where those savings were teased out. There are extra costs in other sections. There is no rhyme nor reason to them. I am very disappointed, in that the Taoiseach was purportedly asked to come to the committee on finance to discuss this. After all, it is his Estimate, his Vote and his money. It should be dealt with.”
“Otherwise, we should fold up our tent in here and go away. We are like a Third World country. It is shocking. It hurts me deeply to have to talk about it.”
“How can they see a problem and just walk away from it? It would not happen on farms. It would not be allowed to happen. It is so devastating for families. We saw loss of life and how files were wrongly entered or classified. It is so simple to say that but it is so deeply hurtful, sad and troubling to parents, anyone with a heart and anyone who is human. The HSE is not fit for purpose. It has not been for a while. CHI is not fit for purpose by any means, nor is Tusla, but we keep piling on, giving them more and more money, adding more directors and letting them all have big fancy titles while the basic, decent humanity of a required surgery cannot be done in a timely manner. If we do not have the expertise here, we should be importing it from abroad and trying to show some compassion.”
“I suggested at that time that if we were serious about this, we would get some specialist surgeons from the United States or wherever and bring them here to deal with the backlog and waiting lists. I do not have to remind the Minister of what her party leader and current Tánaiste promised and what happened there. Money went in and it was ring-fenced, but it turned out it was not ring-fenced but, rather, was used up elsewhere. What kind of out-of-control HSE health system do we have? It seems to totally lack in compassion and empathy. There are many good people involved. My late brother was a paediatrician of some renown and he cared deeply. I know many health people do but it is the management. “Management” is such a bland word. How can these systems be so callous and unempathetic in how they deal with people on a daily basis?”
“I am a bit out of breath but I am delighted to be able to speak on this. I am delighted go bhfuil an tAire anseo and listening to the debate. It is very important. This has to be sorted out. I raised today during Questions on Policy or Legislation the issue of CDNTs in Clonmel. They are so depleted. There have been 11 staff vacancies there for years. I said mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí. There are children who have varying degrees of needs - some with very little - in need of assistance. This scoliosis issue beggars belief. It is such a profound, challenging illness that is so obvious to parents and everyone. Some years ago, when this was debated, there was some proposal to send children and patients to America by aeroplane. Obviously, that was a no-brainer given they could not travel by aeroplane because of their condition.”
“This is just not acceptable. Funding is not a problem. Does the Taoiseach accept that this is a crisis? What emergency measures will he take to fill these vacancies? Will he acknowledge that this is a national scandal because people have contacted me from all over the country? It is the same in Kildare and all over. Cashel is the same way, with only 35% occupancy. This is not acceptable for young people. Mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí. I know the Taoiseach wants to do that but this is just unacceptable. Some intervention has to be made to rectify this.”
“The children's disability network team in Clonmel is in crisis. Over 60% of posts are vacant and by year end, that will rise to 72%. Eleven positions have been unfilled for years. Two therapists are going on maternity leave, whom I wish well, which will leave only three administrative staff, one social worker and one disability nurse. There will be no occupational therapist, physiotherapist, psychologist or speech and language therapist. This is a service meant to support hundreds of children with complex needs. Right now, 114 children are waiting for assessment, 59 of them for more than 12 months, breaching legal limits, as Cara Darmody pointed out to the Taoiseach. A total of 475 children are on the case load, facing huge delays. Families are desperate and children are regressing. Parents fight daily for basic rights.”
“The real problem is that the Government is paying too much per person who is being housed by IPAS. The Taoiseach is wrong in saying that the Department of justice gave the contract. It was the former Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and his Department at the time that ran amok and invited everyone from Timbuktu to Ireland, to come and have their own front door in 30 days or something. This is crazy. The people deserve better here. They deserve a better reply from the Taoiseach. I want the Taoiseach to instruct the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, to meet Deputy Murphy and me. We have been trying to meet him to look at this situation urgently.”
“That is not accurate. The hotel was closed but the Crowe family operated a successful and wonderful business there. I was at numerous weddings and many other events there. The golf course and the pro shop were open and indeed the venue was operating as a restaurant and everything else. It was effectively running while the hotel was damaged by fire. The Taoiseach does not seem to get the issue. We are dealing with rogue contractors. We pointed out to the integration team - Deputy Michael Murphy and I pointed this out to the Minister - that it was outside the law and that the council gave a section 5 exemption in error. It has conceded that. Now the hotel has gone back for another section 5 exemption, which the council has kicked to An Coimisiún Pleanála. It is just a game of Russian roulette and money for fat cats.”
“Why was the company deemed suitable for a State contract worth up to €8.5 million annually when all this was known and pointed out by the people and by us as public representatives too?”
“Will he acknowledge the grave wrong done to the people of Dundrum village and community, who have been vindicated by the courts, and commit to restoring this amenity to its rightful role in supporting rural development and to changing how decisions about these contracts are made by the Government? Finally, will the Taoiseach commit to a full review of how the contract was awarded, given serious concerns about planning compliance, transparency and the suitability of Utmasta Limited? High Court evidence shows that companies associated with Dundrum House Hotel have not been tax compliant for six years. Just imagine. Any other citizen would not offer that company their business, so what kind of example are we showing?”
“We have already seen the loss of 48 jobs here when Dundrum House Hotel closed its doors, and the collapse of a vital tourism and leisure hub that sustained golf, hospitality and community life, and indeed tourism and culture events as well. Let us not forget that when people stood up against this, and for their rights, they were met with a tyranny of force by An Garda Síochána's riot squad, canine squad and God knows what. I have some questions for the Taoiseach. Will his Government immediately revoke the IPAS contract for Dundrum House Hotel in light of the High Court ruling? Will he confirm that no further taxpayers' money will be paid under the contract, which has no legal foundation whatsoever?”
“There are serious moral questions for the Government about how it could engage with contractors who have not filed accounts and are not compliant with our laws. The High Court has ruled definitively that Dundrum House Hotel is non-compliant. We know that more than 20 IPAS contracts have already been terminated this year for non-compliance with planning, building or fire regulations. Why is Dundrum House Hotel allowed to operate continually like this when it is in this category? Continuing to fund this contract undermines the integrity of the Government's decision-making and shows absolute disregard for the authority of the courts and this country's planning laws.”
“I return to the saga of Dundrum House Hotel in Tipperary. On Monday, the High Court delivered a judgment that quashed the section 5 planning exemption granted for Dundrum House Hotel. The ruling confirmed what local communities have been saying for over a year, that there is no legal or planning basis for an IPAS centre at this site. The certificate underpinning this arrangement should never have been issued. Despite this, the Taoiseach's Government continues to stand over a multi-million euro contract with Utmasta Limited, worth up to €8.5 million a year, to operate a facility that is clearly operating outside the law. This is not simply a legal failure; it has been a social, economic and financial disaster for Dundrum and south Tipperary.”
“It was damaging farmers and trying to blame farmers for the pollution that was happening by Uisce Éireann, county councils and industry. We had pollution in Cork and nobody was responsible. If it was a farmer, it would be all over the papers and everything else. It is time that we were fair here to rural Ireland, to young farmers and old farmers alike. Stand with the farmers. Get rid of An Taisce and all of the other bodies that are melting us here, soaking us and destroying us in Europe and elsewhere.”
“We saw what happened in the court case in Kilkenny in the constituency of Deputy Cleere and the Leas-Cheann Comhairle with the Glanbia plant. It took it to the High Court with taxpayers' money. We have to get our house in order. Cut out the NGOs. Cut out those traitors who are destroying our country here and not supporting us, and then have a Government and all parties and none standing up for the farmers. We have been talking about the fishing industry but it is too late. It will be gone. We are at D-day now and we have huge problems. We need to stand together. We do not have to have those NGOs at meetings like that last week. An Taisce - I will name it here again - would not allow the Minister or Minister of State hear what it was saying because it was talking us down.”
“I was astonished to think we had a Judas in the camp. When it came to the Social Democrats, they went totally against the cause we have here. Ní neart go cur le chéile is a good speech from me. Stand together united. Then, lo and behold, who had a seat at the table? It was An Taisce. When the Minister brought the Commissioner to that table and the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, was there as well, what happened? The brave boyos from An Taisce insisted that the Minister and Minister of State leave the table and they had their own conversation with the Commissioner. We would not have to guess or to be a genius to find out what they said and what they told her. We have an NGO here, overpaid fat cats, who are destroying rural Ireland. They are destroying families trying to get planning permission. They are anti-farmer.”
“I am glad to be able to speak on this tonight. I welcome all the farming organisations and members who are here tonight, especially Mr. Kevin Casey, our Macra manager in Cahir and indeed now in Dungarvan, and his Macra farmers. The future of farming is at stake here. We had all the promises and everything else but it is like shifting sands now. We do not know where we are. I come from the Golden Vale, from a very mixed farm with tillage, cattle, sheep and potatoes - you name it. The Government has not shown good faith to the farmers with the way it has treated the sheep scheme and the cattle scheme. Successive Governments have not shown good faith to farmers for a long time. When we had the Commissioner here last week, she went to a meeting alongside the Minister for agriculture and the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae.”
“For clarification, the Government is opposing the motion. There was meant to be a countermotion but there were some issues about getting it onto the paper. I do not know what the confusion was but-----”
“They cannot go to work or to mass because they cannot get a licence. They left here and worked all their lives in America. They had licences to drive in New York and God knows what other places but they cannot drive here. We need to get with the picture here and get departmental officials to look at this. We are going to have to examine the working from home policy across all Departments. It is time this was stopped or sorted out because a fellow driving a machine or working in the county council or in many other jobs cannot work from home. We are going to have to be fair with people and pull our weight. We are falling behind. Denis O'Brien has said it and the Collison brothers said it recently. We need to be shipshape here and we are not.”
“As I outlined to the Minister of State already, this is a licence to print money. What kind of planning do we have in Departments if we signed up to these agreements to allow them to continue to be privately gouging motorists? Motorists are gouged every which way - the NCT, road tax, and insurance. Deputy O'Donoghue announced astounding figures for Tipperary. There was a difference of €900 for people in Tipperary. I hope there are not more people claiming in Tipperary. I would not think there is. We beat him this year in the hurling and maybe he is having a come-back at us for that one. We stopped them getting five in a row. Anyway, next year is another day. We need to look at that. I, too, have had people come back from America and they cannot contribute to the economy here.”
“Tipperary town is as bad as the M50 at times, as the parking situation is chronic and lorries go through the town. It is a major route from Foynes Port to Rosslare. We have to get it into the national development plan so that the footprint of that relief road will be built around Tipperary. We did it in Cashel. I was chair of the council up to 2004. Why can we not do it now? We should just build the road around Tipperary town. The route has been selected and there have been notices to treat and notices of getting ready. Why do we not do that in advance of the bigger project and relieve the town of Tipperary for the people to live, work and play? The fumes and noise are unhealthy, as well as the obvious delays with all the traffic bumper to bumper. That needs to be done.”
“We need something like that in Limerick Junction. Connectivity from Cahir, Tipperary town, Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir is needed. I did see planning permission this week, thankfully, for an upgrade to Clonmel railway station. I asked the Minister of State to come and visit when he was in Tipperary recently but he did not have time. Maybe he will come again. The railway station is closed to commuters on the train or on buses. There are no toilets or anything else. It is a shameful situation. People expect that after travelling for several hours on a bus they would be able to use the facilities at the train station. It is the same in Cahir, Carrick-on-Suir and Tipperary town. That is not acceptable in this day and age. I also refer to the motorways, in particular the proposed M24 from Limerick to Waterford.”
“It is not going back into helping motorists. The toll companies are taking us for a ride. More increases are coming up again. They charge what they want. The M50 is a car park. I came through it one Sunday recently on the way to Monaghan and the traffic was at a standstill. It was the Sunday of the bank holiday weekend. I was very surprised. We need better planning there. I wish to speak about the rail service from Limerick to Waterford. I use the train quite a bit to come to Dublin. There is a good service from Cahir but not enough trains, especially for return journeys. The train goes to Limerick Junction and then to Dublin. The line from Waterford to Limerick needs a major upgrade, and many more services with better connectivity. New routes have been announced, including a service every half hour from Thurles and Templemore.”
“The insurance companies are taking us all for a ride. There have been different investigations and schemes but it gets worse and worse. The driving licence issue is crazy as well. Although the waiting lists to get a driving test have improved slightly lately, it is just not good enough. The costs of the NCT and the CVRT are going up all the time. The roads are in a simply appalling condition in rural Ireland. It is fine to have the NCT when you are on tarmac surfaces in the cities, but you could damage your car on the way into the NCT. On congestion on the M50, the costs are staggering. Deputy Tóibín put them on the record. Last year, €4.1 billion was raised in taxes on the fuel we need to go from A to B, to school, to the doctor, to work agus gach rud mar sin. It is criminal to pay €1.4 billion in carbon tax.”
“There is also the bus ó Chontae Phort Láirge. It provides an excellent service freisin. It comes to Clonmel from Dungarvan four times a day. We are trying to get it to stop in Kilmanahan and Kilmacomma, which are both in County Waterford, but it is refusing to stop in those places. There is space. There is certainly loads of space in Kilmanahan. Kilmacomma is a big housing estate on the outskirts of Clonmel. Although it is in County Waterford, it is forgotten about in Port Láirge. They shop, go to school and do everything else in Clonmel so they need that connectivity. It is a great service and I salute the drivers. Everybody who uses it is very happy. It is an excellent service. That is good. I wanted to say that at the start. The whole cost of insurance rip-off is a joke. It is not being dealt with.”
“I am delighted to be able to speak on this motion on the costs of motoring. There is a fair dollop of hypocrisy in it when we talk about carbon tax because there were only a handful of us who opposed it when it was introduced here in a sneaky way that involved ten years of annual increases without ever coming back before the House. Sinn Féin and others wanted higher carbon taxes. That can never be forgotten. Ar an gcéad dul síos, déanaim comhghairdeas le baile Chluain Meala agus leis an town bus, an bus baile. The TFI routes there do great work. The Clonmel town bus has been a major success but, as Deputy Healy said earlier, it needs to be extended, as I know it will, to Kilsheelan, Moyle Rovers and Ballyclerahan and out to the old bridge, the Raheen Road and parts of the town it does not service.”
“In the name of dead generations and the future generations, we should cry "Halt" here, look at what we are doing to employers and see if can we support them rather than persecute them.”
“They do not want to be lectured and told what to do with legislation after legislation without any pre-legislative scrutiny. Even if we had that here, and this is a criticism of my colleagues, there are not enough self-employed people in this House. They do not have the time nor the energy to go for it because they are too busy working. We have plenty solicitors, barristers, some doctors and whatever else - professional people - but we do not have any self-employed people. This is a sign we are out of kilter with the ordinary working small businesses. If you are out of kilter with the small business people, you are out of kilter with their employees. If you push them out of existence, we will have people on the social welfare. Where will that get us? What I am saying here is ten or maybe 15 years too late. It has just gone beyond a joke.”
“We know about all the NGOs that are milking this country and leaving it high and dry but it is the same with these so-called watchdogs that we are setting up. There are so many and we would set up another. The Taoiseach has set up more investigations, organisations and everything else than he has had hot dinners during his time as Minister and as Taoiseach and they are doing nothing only pushing paper. The vast majority of them, as I said, are not fit for purpose. They are jobs for the boys, most of them retired people from here or the Civil Service. They are persecuting people who are the enablers, who want to get the work done, who want to employ themselves first and then employ others and grow their businesses. These are people with good relationships with their employees.”
“That is what I am talking about: the costs. It could not be coming in at a worse time than now because things are very tight. Margins are very tight because there is no record or account of the insurance costs or the claims. We have talked about reports. Goodness knows, we have offices and agencies now for everything. Useless, toothless and fruitless is what I call all these bodies that are supposed to be looking after the costs to protect the consumers. They are not protecting the consumers; they are fattening themselves. They have the brass plaque up on the wall, the nice office furniture, a big office chair, a fine big job and a team under them. They are costing a fortune. NERA has six offices all over the country. It has the finest of offices. There are many others.”
“We had a bit of a boom but now we have tightened up seriously again and are heading into very dark times and choppy waters. NERA should be changed to a national employers support because if we do not have employers, we will not have the jobs. It is as simple as it gets dark this evening at 5 o'clock and it will be daylight in the morning at 7.30 a.m. or 7 o'clock. It is as simple as that. We are not going to have those employers if we do not nurture and mind them. We have not nurtured them for decades. We have put more paperwork on top of them. We are smothered with it. It is paperwork after paperwork. I mentioned earlier about IBEC and organisations like that. IBEC has said it supports the principle of the auto-enrolment - of course it does - but emphasises the need for alignment with other cost pressures.”