Michael Collins
Cork South-West · Independent Ireland · Ireland
“This matter has been raised twice already this morning, but it is hugely important. I will make a personal appeal to the Taoiseach regarding Skyclarys and the further delay that has now arisen. Yesterday, Emma O'Shea came to Leinster House from west Cork with her mother, father and brother.”
“Another huge problem which normally arises in August is that relating to school buses. Parents have no way to get their children to school because of the nearest school rule. The current and previous programmes for Government contain promises that this will be done away with, but nothing has happened. The rule needs to be abolished.”
“Every parent knows that September has become one of the most expensive months of the year. While free schoolbooks are welcome, many families now face growing costs for other items. Parents are being asked to purchase laptops that cost €400 or more, make increased payments for school transport and pay charges to cover examination fees.”
“Either 25 children are left without a school place this September, or two senior infants classes are merged into one class of 34 children. Does the Minister of State agree that schools should not be punished for helping to solve an enrolment crisis? Will he immediately sanction the additional teaching posts required for St.”
“Education should not be measured by means of the distance someone lives from school, and school transport should not be measured on that basis either. I want to raise a matter that Councillor Bill Clear brought to my attention. It is a very serious issue regarding St. Corban’s National School in Naas in County Kildare.”
“I was chairperson of a board of management and know the difficulties that schools face just because they are one or two children short. That can be made up as the year goes on but it is a crisis that Councillor Clear finds unacceptable.”
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“We want to mandate round-table pre-planning meetings within 30 days and make sure that applicants have access to the minutes of the meetings. This will ensure they know exactly what planners are looking for. We want to establish a housing delivery acceleration task force reporting to the Taoiseach to resolve interagency delays. We have empty local authority houses all over the country. They need to be turned around immediately. If these houses need to be retrofitted, that can be done while there are people in the houses. Why wait? Rural housing guidelines should be reformed to allow multiple homes on family farmland. Week in, week out, daughters and sons of farmers come to see me about trying to get planning on their own land. The hoops they have to go through are unbelievable.”
“It is disappointing that the Minister of State seems to be putting in amendments opposing the proposal. If this proposal was worked on, it would create a strong solution in relation to housing. Sometimes I wonder what the reasoning is behind the Government trying to block any good proposal being put forward. I thank Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice, John Campbell and Mark Nolan for putting this motion together. Housing is one of the most pressing issues of our time. We must declare a national housing and infrastructure emergency to enable accelerated housing delivery. This is not just a matter of policy; it is a matter of urgency and necessity. We in Independent Ireland have had this in our policies since we were formed. We have solutions to the crisis.”
“I saw the names of people who went away 20 years ago still on it. Something is wrong somewhere. This will be a big issue going forward and we need to clean it up. A person has to be over 35 to run for the Presidency. That should be brought down to 21. It is the same in the general election. During the general election campaign, there was a young lady who was 19 years of age and was eager to run in Cork South-Central. I could not let her run because she was not 21 years of age. She was over 18. I do not agree with 16-year-olds voting but if people are allowed to vote at 18 years of age, they should be able to run for office at 18 years of age. The requirement to be 35 or older is a bit much. We need to examine that going forward.”
“There were not five people out in the electoral register in my area when I was working on that. Now, the Government has got rid of every one of those enumerators and the register is in bits. I am hearing it is approximately a 60% turnout but I reckon it is really a 75% turnout because there are people dead for ten to 15 years who have not been taken off the register. We need to have people like the local postman who have knowledge of what is going on out there. Those people could get a payment on the side and come back with a completely corrected register. It is scandalous to see some of them. I got the register. I got to see who voted and who did not. Obviously, we do not know what way they voted, but we are entitled to look at it. The names of people who have been dead for years have not been taken off the register.”
“Granting voting rights would address the current disparity whereby Irish citizens in Northern Ireland can run for the Presidency but cannot vote and would align with the principles of equality and fairness. All Irish citizens on the island of Ireland should have the opportunity to vote for the President of Ireland. This would be in line with the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement. This is something that Independent Ireland will be very strong on going forward. Getting people out to vote is a big issue here too. Turnout in recent referendums and Dáil and local elections was low. The first and foremost issue for the Electoral Commission, established in 2023, is to look at the registers. The registers are no longer updated. They are in absolute tatters and disarray. I was a local electoral enumerator myself.”
“Independent Ireland believes we must give all people on the island of Ireland the right to vote in presidential elections. It makes no sense that people who live on the island of Ireland - North and South - cannot vote for the President of Ireland. It would ensure that all Irish citizens, regardless of their residence, have a say in electing the Head of State, fostering a sense of inclusion and representation. Voting rights could reinforce the connection between Northern Ireland and the Republic while promoting a unified Irish identity. It would encourage greater political participation and engagement among Irish citizens in Northern Ireland, potentially leading to a more politically active and informed populace. People who live in Northern Ireland can run for President but they cannot vote in the presidential election.”
“The sale has been almost approved but there is something holding up getting it across the line and people are suffering. HIQA has to stand up here and say, "Okay, let us get this right. This is the problem here." I have met HIQA officials but they are telling me due to GDPR that there are certain things they cannot tell me. The liquidator says he does not know what is going on so there is a problem. We need that resolved straight away in the old Aperee nursing home in Bantry so that we can have people guaranteed that they have safeguarded their homes going forward.”
“The liquidator has it sold but there is a problem with HIQA and the liquidator, whatever it is. However, 17 beds are available there to be delivered for the people. It is very important that this would be looked into immediately and that HIQA would be asked to sit down with the liquidator, tell him the issues and get on with the sale of the nursing home. These 17 beds are closed and they had been brought up to full standard so we could allow people in. I have people all over west Cork pleading with me for a bed. Good God, they are pleading with me for a bed in a nursing home and to think there are 17 there. It is just a little bit of paperwork. It is no longer anything to do with the condition because the home has been brought up to standard.”
“Families, who had people inside in Perrott House in Skibbereen, were told six or seven weeks ago that they are going to be moved. It is a mental health unit but it is for the elderly. They have had no communication since as to where they are going, whether they are going long term, short term or being kept there, or if they will be able to return. The answers to simple questions are being refused to people. Basically, the families were rung and told not to be listening to Michael Collins in the Dáil at all. The families asked Perrott House what they were doing but were told "Sorry, we cannot tell you". That is another type of abuse. I also mention the old Aperee Living Bantry nursing home. That is a crisis situation. It was closed down and now is almost across the line.”
“There is the Fairfield Nursing Home in Drimoleague, Bushmount Nursing Home and CareChoice in Clonakilty and the Skibbereen Residential Care Centre. All of these are providing a fantastic service to people and the families love the service they are providing. We need to get the point across that while there are bad apples out there and they need to be weeded out, not everybody is a bad apple. I call into question HIQA and the way it carries out its checks, given that this was not spotted previously. It gets to the point where elderly people are being treated inhumanely and that is something I would not stand for, but it has not stopped. We all know the crisis that is out there at the moment. I raised Perrott House in Skibbereen in the House with the Tánaiste last week.”
“The recent "RTÉ Investigates" documentary "Inside Ireland's Nursing Homes", which aired on 4 June, showed us all the terrible conditions in some nursing homes in the midlands and Dublin. We were all horrified and shocked by the programme and the way the most vulnerable in our society are being treated - by some. I do not want to tar everybody with the same brush. When we hear what is said in this House sometimes, and rightly so, in defence of innocent, elderly people who are being abused, it can seem as if staff in every nursing home are doing this. They are not. I spoke to Mr. Tadhg Daly, CEO of Nursing Homes Ireland, at great length and he assured me there are great nursing homes out there. He does not need to tell me that because I have seen them. I have visited them.”
“The mess we are in now has left Jennifer Marley in Bantry facing an uncertain future, with the real prospect of being left without a roof over her head. She has told me I can show the House the picture of her I am holding in my hand. This woman, who is 88 years of age and part of the fabric of our community, must leave her home in a short few weeks. What hope - by which I mean real hope - will the Taoiseach give Jennifer today that she can be guaranteed to have a roof over her head in four weeks' time?”
“Jennifer Marley is 88 years of age and has been living in rented accommodation in Bantry for the past six years. She has received a notice to quit her rented home as the landlord wants to sell. We are frantically trying to get Jennifer a house she can call her own as she is not suited to sheltered accommodation at 88 years of age. Tomorrow, Independent Ireland will put forward a motion in the House calling for legislative action on infrastructure reform to accelerate housing delivery. We propose up to 23 measures in our motion to address the housing crisis, including everything from declaring a housing emergency to rewarding high-performing councils, in an attempt to ensure delivery for the people of Ireland and stop the empty talk.”
“We need a discussion about education, school size, class sizes and the capitation grant. Many schools are under immense pressure. I have been requesting statements in the Dáil. We also need a discussion about immigration and migration with regard to Citywest. I would appreciate it if we could find time this week to discuss those issues.”
“When I am talking about intervention, I know that these people want to stay in Perrott House. I tried to put a hand out to Perrott House to get some explanation of what is going on but it refused to give us any information. It consulted with the families five or six weeks ago to say something was going to happen, but it has not told them where their loved ones are going to go or if they are going for one month, six months, 12 months or for life. The situation they find themselves in is scandalous.”
“My constituents are deeply concerned about the proposed closure of Perrott House mental health care facility in Skibbereen, County Cork. This residential care facility, which is staffed for 24 hours, has been home to many long-term residents, providing them with essential programmes like horticulture, music, poetry and art, as well as access to the local library, church and shop in Skibbereen. The HSE plans to move the residents to St. Stephen's Psychiatric Hospital in Glanmire, 100 km away, disrupting their lives and community ties. This decision has had a devastating impact on residents and their families, with no consultation involved. Having seen what has happened in nursing homes over the past few weeks, we feel this is another abuse of the elderly, the most vulnerable in our society. Will the Tánaiste intervene?”
“While talking about waffle, I have to mention one person who spoke a lot of waffle the last two times he spoke in the Dáil, criticising Independent Ireland's policies, and that is Deputy Mattie McGrath. The same TD voted against Independent Ireland's motion on housing to hold the Government accountable. The same TD voted for the Taoiseach. The same TD voted against our proposals on NGOs. He voted with the Government to allow Deputy Michael Lowry additional speaking time. He also voted with the Government on the national framework. A man who hails himself as the so-called independent Opposition is almost more Fianna Fáil now than he ever was in his life. He was criticising Independent Ireland's housing policies. We can stand over them. All he ever has is a blank piece of paper. We have policies and we can stand before the people with them.”
“Instead, it drives out small landlords, pushes out developers and paints anyone with property as an enemy of progress. That is not the issue. That is scapegoating. Where are the real reforms? The Minister has been in government for almost six months. In that time, all he has come up with is a Bill that looks like it was written on the back of a cigarette packet on Monday night or Tuesday morning. There is a hollow brass-plate name change to An Bord Pleanála, a new chairman with little or no obvious experience in the construction or planning sectors and a press release promising that an “Enhanced LDA will beef up delivery of homes across the country”. There are six key promises that appear to me to be nothing more than waffle.”
“While we are at it, let us talk about short-term letting. Instead of clear rules that distinguish between home shares and commercial operators, the Bill hits everyone with the same regulatory hammer. A family trying to rent a room in their home for a few weeks a year now faces bureaucracy that rivals the corporate sector, with forms, fines and enforcement, all while vacant State buildings rot in plain sight. Is that fairness? Is that common sense? We need housing policies that incentivise development, not punish effort. Independent Ireland has proposed tax incentives to bring vacant properties back into use. We have urged the Government to reduce VAT on building materials, reform mortgage access and bring home our builders from abroad with tax reliefs and real opportunity. This Bill does none of that.”
“We propose doubling the rear extension allowance in order that elderly parents can downsize and stay close to their families. These are solutions that build communities whereas this legislation builds resentment. Let us talk about fairness. This Bill, in all its haste, refuses to recognise the lived experience of students, front-line workers or those in the rental trap through no fault of their own. It offers no flexibility and no understanding. We in Independent Ireland have been clear that in view of students’ specific housing needs, they need specific solutions. We need to expand campus building. Let us allow developers to use log cabins and prefab buildings to meet seasonal demand. This Government would rather throw a one-size-fits-none net across the country and call it reform.”
“That is not just wrong; it is reckless. It is undermining supply and undermining communities. In my constituency of Cork South-West, I speak weekly to builders and farmers’ sons and daughters who are trying to build on family land. Every one of them has hit a brick wall, be it with planning, bureaucracy, rising materials costs or rental laws written with Dublin 4 in mind, not Dunmanway or Bantry. What does this legislation offer them? It offers more red tape, more fear and more planning restrictions. The Bill expands RPZ restrictions without one meaningful commitment to increase housing supply in rural Ireland. Independent Ireland has called loudly for streamlined rural planning, for in-person preplanning meetings and for modular and prefabricated homes that can be built affordably and quickly.”
“It is certainly not for young people trying to buy their first home, the small landlord trying to rent fairly or the nurse commuting 90 minutes because she cannot afford a flat near the hospital. This Bill is about one thing: the illusion of control. It is panic dressed up as a policy. Rent pressure zones were meant to be temporary. Like every half-baked policy this Government has brought forward, however, they have become a permanent fixture, stifling supply, squeezing out small landlords and doing precious little to meaningfully reduce rents. Now, with this emergency legislation, the Government wants to stretch that failed model across the country like a Band-Aid on a broken leg. This Bill discourages the very participation it needs to work. It tells landlords they are not partners in the housing solution; they are the problem.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the Bill. The Minister will know I am not a man who is interested in theatrics or Government back-pats, but a Deputy elected by the people of west Cork to speak truthfully and plainly about the reality we face in the absolute failure this emergency RPZ Bill represents. This legislation is not a solution. It is a symptom of a Government chasing headlines and running away from problems of its own creation while abandoning the very families it claims to serve. It is not Independent Ireland's vision for a better, fairer or freer housing system. The Minister wants us to believe that this Bill is about stability but for whom?”
“Where are the Government plans to expand the complex, as per the plan laid out in the Business Post ? On all of these questions, I have pleaded for a debate on this issue for the last three or four weeks but it has not been afforded to me. It has left us with no choice. However, the purchase still went on without consultation in here or out there.”
“The Government yesterday announced the purchase of Citywest, the main hotel and conference centre, at a cost of €148 million. What are the projected running costs? Will the State still be renting the CityArk complex, which has 400-plus rooms, from Tetrarch? The cost per person per night is €84. How much is that per year? Doubling the capacity of the site would mean the population of the IPAS centre was equal to the population of Saggart, which the Independent Ireland councillor in that area, Linda de Courcy, tells me has the local residents stunned, as there was no consultation. Why has the Minister made no reference to the Lemongrass restaurant located on the site? The owners have tried to contact the Minister several times but he has not engaged with them.”
“In areas like Ballynacarriga, Drinagh, Bantry to Goleen and Ballydehob, there are pockets where there is no transport service as such. I would like to think also that we would look at our school buses being used as a transport service. Kids can come in on the Luas in the morning with adults. Why can they not sit on the same bus with adults? That is an area we need to look at. I thank Bus Éireann, West Cork Connect and Local Link for delivery of what they are doing but, unfortunately, a hell of a lot more could be done. Over-70s should be allowed to drive school buses too. That will be a huge issue going forward and it needs to be looked at.”
“Connecting Ireland is disconnecting quite a number of places, but I do not want to start with a major criticism. There have been great successes in my constituency, Cork South-West, in relation to Ardgroom, Bantry to Sheep's Head, Crookhaven, Goleen, Lowertown, Schull to Skibbereen, and Baltimore to Skibbereen, where a second bus has been put on the route is so popular. These are the routes that nobody was either interested in or pushing previously. Unfortunately, however, there are serious areas of disconnection. There is no connection to light rail from Ardgroom to Cork Airport, a distance of 130 km - imagine that - or from Mizen Head to Cork, a distance of 124 km. There is no connection whatsoever to either of those areas, and that needs to be looked.”
“As I have stated more than once when speaking about housing, if we had put down two or three blocks in those days, we would have built thousands of houses. It has never stopped. The left groups in opposition have joined together. Let them join away. I do not think they have the solutions either. They are dreaming. We are here as Independent Ireland, a stand-alone party that has put forward solutions. They are not magical solutions, but at least they can move this country forward. People are leaving our country. Young people left, right and centre are going out of the country because they cannot buy houses and they cannot see themselves being in homes in the future. That is something we need to overturn.”
“The bottom line is that we are no further on. The same is true of Shannonvale, with raw sewage pouring into a local play park and seeping down into the local river. Apparently, that is no problem. If a local farmer up the road was responsible, however, he would be put out of business pretty quickly. It is the same with Rosscarbery and Ballydehob. In 1999, I was on the local community council in Goleen. I still am. We paid to bring in the property owners in order that we could negotiate a deal to establish a treatment plant there, but it never happened. The whole country is blocked solid when it comes to movement. We are free to call a housing emergency, which is what this is. If we do not deal with it, we will be in the same situation 12 months, two years or five years from now.”
“Unfortunately, that has not happened. The Government talks about infrastructure and funding. We have not got the funding; it does not seem to be getting to the areas that need it. I will pick out five areas that I have often mentioned here in the Dáil, namely Dunmanway, Shannonvale, Rosscarbery, Ballydehob and Goleen. Some of them have been waiting for 25 years for a wastewater treatment plant. One town I always pick above the rest - maybe I should not - is Dunmanway. There is a super opportunity to deliver housing for the people there. Not one house can be delivered, however. The delivery of houses may have to wait until 2032 or 2034, which is astonishing. The Minister needs to come down there and have a look at what is going on. We know the scandal of raw sewage pumping into the local waterways, and it was mentioned last year.”
“Some €148 million was announced today to take over a hotel in Dublin for an IPAS centre. There is a concentration on resolving that issue, even though the local community is up in arms over it, and rightly so. The problem we have is that modular homes, prefabricated homes and log cabins are needed for the 15,000 ordinary Irish people who do not have homes. Why are we afraid to look at that type of model? When we were growing up long ago, people who did not have a home stayed in a mobile home or whatever for a number of years until they got their feet under them. While legislation is coming and all this sort of talk is going on, action is not happening on the ground. While the Government is rushing through stuff, it is letting loads of other problems remain. Declaring a housing emergency would have dealt with that.”
“During the election, Independent Ireland said a housing emergency needed to be declared and everyone ran away. Now it seems as though we are rushing through legislation in the Dáil this week in a frantic bid to try to overturn the emergency that is there. There are 15,000 people without homes, which is a huge emergency for those in that dire situation. I am inundated every weekend when I hold clinics with people who do not have homes coming to me one after another. The local authority is coming to the point where if people have a roof over their heads, meaning the car roof, then it is okay and they are sorted. It is not okay. I am not blaming the Minister. In recent years, the Government collectively has been asleep at the wheel. It needs to take responsibility and look at where we could have made changes.”
“However, the streets are ripped up so businesses are losing money hand over fist. When businesses are struggling, something should be provided and maybe local property tax should be looked at in that regard. I was talking to Councillor Daniel Sexton in regard to play parks, which are amenities. The Leap local community is fundraising to build its own play park. In Skibbereen, people are looking to fund their own amenities. The local communities are delivering, not the LPT which was meant to deliver. This will continue. It is hard to support something when the people do not get their money back.”
“With the rent pressures zones, many people are telling me that in the past week auctioneers have been inundated with people walking away from letting houses. That is another crisis in its own right. The HAP has not increased and people are finding it very difficult to make ends meet. They are paying the higher rates and the rates are getting higher but the HAP has not risen to meet that. Local property tax should have delivered in that area. There are council rates and there are outside seating rates. It is a hit on the business person. VAT is a hit on the business person. My brother, Councillor John Collins, recently tabled a motion that rates should not apply to the businesses of Bandon at present because the streets are ripped up. That is fair enough because there will be a long-term benefit from it.”
“In Lyre, Clonakilty, a bridge collapsed almost ten years ago. I brought it up in one of my first weeks in the Dáil. I went to see it. It was a link road for the local community half a mile up on the Clonakilty Road. Again, the council walked away because it does not have the funds to build a bridge. The people of Lyre and Clonakilty ask what they have got out of their property tax because we are not able to deliver. The very basics are not being fixed. I was talking to Councillor Ger Curley yesterday, who is councillor for Independent Ireland, about the housing assistance payment, HAP. Why has the HAP not increased in relation to housing? This should come under the property tax. I am fairly sure it does come under the property tax.”
“Local property tax was set out to be tax for local authorities. I am not totally opposed to any tax as long as it delivers on exactly what it was meant to be. I will outline to the Minister exactly where it did not deliver in County Cork in recent years. A road at Allihies collapsed and there is no longer a lead road into that community. The council does not have money and has basically walked away from repairing the road. It would not happen up here where if a road collapsed, it would immediately be repaired. Of course, it would be of huge importance and I would agree with that. Councillor Danny Collins and I have been working with the people of Allihies. Even though they have all paid their property tax, they look over at this road that they can no longer travel on. The council has given up and walked away from it.”
“We need statements on education. Primary schools are going through a serious crisis. I met with representatives of the INTO last week, as others probably did too. We need to look at class sizes, but the capitation grant was the big issue. Basically, schools cannot pay the electricity bill. If we cannot at least give them proper funding to allow them to continue their proper functions as primary schools, then the State is failing. We therefore need a debate on education in the Dáil.”
“The carbon footprint in getting this fleet to Ireland would be massive, and their fishing practices are unregulated by any authorities. I was told that Japanese send planes to Ireland to track the bluefin tuna. Again, our Irish fishermen cannot fish for the fish in their own seas. It is scandalous. I spoke about the mussel farm in Kinsale before and the opposition to it. The Minister of State needs to look at that along with the senior Minister. The licence was given despite serious information being missing. A licence was given for a 62-acre mussel farm off the coast of Kinsale, which is scandalous.”
“The core issue stems from the UK's claim of a 12-mile exclusion zone around Rockall, which had led to Irish fishing vessels being banned from fishing in these waters since Brexit. This ban has had a substantial impact on the Irish fishing industry, particularly affecting the catch of species such as squid and haddock. Will the Minister of State give me an update on where this is at present? In recent years, the population of bluefin tuna has exploded. Ireland had a previous track record of more than 2,000 tonnes per year when Michael Keating was sent to ICCAT as the Irish representative. We applied to ICCAT and now receive a quota. The Japanese fleet is fishing along the 200-mile international limit to freeze bluefin tuna for a demanding market in Japan.”
“In fairness, the Minister of State has been meeting with people. I acknowledge that and can be fair where it is needed. I will also be speaking to our MEP, Ciaran Mullooly, to see whether he can come at it from the European side. While in Kilmore Quay, the fishermen told me about their infrastructure. They are right about the piers and infrastructure in Ireland. They mentioned Kilmore Quay, Castletownbere, Donegal and Galway and they said that there is proper infrastructure and proper piers every 10 km in Newfoundland. We are in a situation where we are lucky to have four or five of them around the country while the others are begging for improvements. Irish fishermen have been facing significant challenges due to the ongoing dispute over fishing rights around Rockall.”
“They told us that they are laughing at them with 80% of the quota. I believe this was raised in the December quota meeting in 2024 and the Commission had a rabbit-out-of-the-hat suggestion that the Hague preferences should only be invoked when the quotas fell to ten tonnes because of Brexit. The fishermen's calculation was that the Hague preferences falls below 190 tonnes. The Commission and the Department were supposed to investigate this and report back in January 2025, but, needless to say, the fishermen have not heard a word about. On behalf of the fishermen of Kilmore Quay, will the Minister of State increase their black sole quota? Will he meet with them in Wexford? The Ceann Comhairle and I would appreciate it if he let us know if that was happening as it is hugely important.”
“I would appreciate it if he addressed that. While I was talking to these fisherman, who were complimentary about our Ceann Comhairle, Deputy Verona Murphy because she is from that area, they told me how angry they are at the cost of all of this. They are breaking the law if they bring in this black sole. If they log it, they are breaking the law. If it gets into their nets without being targeted, they are breaking the law as they have no quota. They want to fish legally and do not want to be branded as criminals. Can we have some common sense here and increase the black sole quota for them? The maddening thing for anyone who was at this meeting was the idea that they can only fish 4% of the quota. It is astonishing. Belgian boats can fish all around them and are laughing at them.”
“They are only allowed 4% of the quota. Listen to this. Belgium, however, is allowed to fish around Irish waters for 80% of the black sole quota. It is an astonishing situation. It is bad enough that they have to put up with this shocking deal, but when they go out to fish other species and are not targeting black sole, it gets into their nets as it is so plentiful. It is not possible for them to try to fish for other species without black sole getting into their nets. They often catch black sole, which was not targeted for fishing. They have to dump it or bring it in for dumping, which is completely crazy. They are asking for an increase in their black sole quota under the Hague preferences. They are asking for the Hague preferences to be invoked. Will the Minister for the marine increase their black sole quotas?”
“That was the best deal that came out of the last Government. The previous Government gave everything away. Brexit came and we left Michel Barnier to do all the negotiations and he certainly looked after France and Spain. Ireland was a passenger - it was a trailer with no hook on it and it fell off along the way. It is so sad and unfortunate. I begged the Taoiseach to make sure we got right in there, but he was not listening. He told me there could never be a stand-alone Minister for fisheries and now we have one. Hey presto; we pressed a button and things can happen. Recently I took up an invitation to go to Kilmore Quay, County Wexford. These fishermen stayed ashore especially to meet me to discuss the unfairness of the way in which they and their livelihoods are being treated. One of the big issues for them is that they fish black sole.”
“I welcome the Minister of State. This may be the first time we have been face to face. I appreciate his recent invitation to Castletownbere. Unfortunately, I was at another meeting and could not get there, but I will certainly meet him soon. I listened to some of the Deputies speaking in the Chamber earlier. I do not like talking about Deputies when they are not present, but Deputy Ward - not in a bad sense - said it is not all Europe's fault. Maybe he is right; it is his own Government's fault and successive Governments' fault. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have literally turned their backs on Irish fishermen. That is a well-known fact. I will read out some of the reasons. I hope the Minister of State will turn this around, because if he does not, more and more people would be looking to decommission, but that scheme is gone.”
“We do not need reviews or task forces. We need results with 92 days remaining. I will meet the employee committee at Mullagh alongside my Independent Ireland colleague, Councillor O'Reilly. We stand firmly behind them and will ensure the Government does not stand idly by. What will the Tánaiste and Government do to save this company and the 217 jobs at risk?”
“Wellman International in Mullagh, County Cavan, a pioneer in fibre manufacturing since 1973, faces an uncertain future. The company was placed in examinership on 3 June. It has just 100 days to find an investor or buyer to save 217 highly skilled jobs that are vital to the communities of east Cavan and north Meath. Local Independent Ireland councillor Shane P. O'Reilly, a strong advocate for the workers, has raised serious concerns about management decisions and the lack of State support over the years. It is astonishing that a company which once recycled 4.5 billion bottles annually is not being utilised for the deposit return scheme when 80% of collected bottles are exported to mainland Europe. It is a clear missed opportunity by Enterprise Ireland and the IDA. I urge the Tánaiste and the State to take immediate action.”
“Since 2022, in spite of meetings with Ministers and others, the Dental Council has washed its hands and has walked away without a care in the world for the damage, both mental and physical, done to these children. Will the Tánaiste step in here and meet with the Dental Council to hold it accountable, hold it to do what it is supposed to do for these people so something like this can never happen again and compensate these innocent people who have been scammed out of their hard-earned money?”
“I thank the Tánaiste for his reply. He speaks about dental regulation, the Dentists Act and developments in 2024 or 2025. These people were hit hard in 2022. They have lost €2 million. How can any of them have confidence when we see the regulatory bodies fail the very people they are paid to protect? What does the Tánaiste say to the parents and children in their hundreds who are scammed out of their hard-earned money in Oranmore, Galway, to the tune of over €2 million, leaving these children in a shocking condition to the point, as I said earlier, of a young woman's boyfriend cutting the wire out of her mouth himself with some type of clippers?”
“HIQA is responsible for inspecting and registering residential care services for older people, including both public and private nursing homes. It ensures that these facilities meet the required standards of care and safety. Where was HIQA? We are forever in the Dáil seeking facts after the events, with well-paid regulatory bodies showing absolutely no accountability. How does the Tánaiste suggest we hold these bodies accountable going forward?”