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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“Over the past number of years, I have raised Keelbeg Pier in Union Hall with the Tánaiste, the Taoiseach and other Ministers on numerous occasions, and the urgency of commencing works on this pier. Several Ministers have come and gone after visiting the pier. Even the Taoiseach visited the pier recently. They all made promises to the local people but not a shovel has been turned in the many years that I have been involved. We have the Department pointing the finger at the council and the council pointing it back at the Department, and the local community is stuck in the middle. Keelbeg Pier is used by local fishermen and pleasure boats alike. It serves mainly the Union Hall and Glandore area and it is vital that action happens on the ground. Can the Tánaiste update us on what exactly is happening with Keelbeg Pier?”
“We need to properly promote that. We need to look into areas we can force more business. Given the number of pubs and clubs that have been closed in recent times and clubs, that is important. I have been fighting a long time for people to come back to towns like Dunmanway to live in local communities. Its wastewater treatment plant needs to be upgraded. It is a sad thing to find out that after public representatives from the Government side stated it would get 50 houses with a recent do-up of the wastewater treatment plant, it would only get 15. Who is codding who while trying to get a big headline?”
“I was up in Galway for many weeks recently, where short-term lets are necessary for the very survival of local communities there, as in my constituency. They love people coming in mainly from our own country. They like to holiday around, find some place to stay, enjoy going out at night, have something to eat and spend money in the local economy. We have parties in here that are against that. I am scratching my head wondering what the hell they are at? They do not understand the benefit. Do not attack the tourism sector to try to fix the housing sector. Are we to ruin the tourism sector to fix the housing sector? That is where the Social Democrats and Labour have been for quite a long time. Other things like country markets and fair days benefit communities, bring people into communities and help people stay in them.”
“There are pilot projects in Kerry and – I might be wrong – Sligo. They are great projects. Local Link buses are travelling around and dropping and picking people up during the night. For obvious reasons, people cannot socialise properly if they do not have transport. It is hard to get a taxi or a hackney. We should be looking at rolling out those schemes in a bigger way. I hear a lot of criticism in this Chamber about the 9% VAT rate and short-term lets. The Social Democrats and the Labour Party in particular have a real target of hitting tourism. For some reason, they are anti-tourism in this country, but they should not be. The 9% VAT rate was to help local communities survive the crisis they were going through, and the same with short-term lets.”
“There is also the Quay’s Bar and many others. The street is nearly full of umbrellas, tables and chairs. It is fantastic for the town. I could go on about all the beautiful places in west Cork, but what I am saying is that this is great for the whole country. We should be building on that success. I cannot understand why this is treated temporarily. This is a success story. No one in this Chamber objects to this measure. Good God, if we were in here objecting, it would never be brought up so often. I cannot understand why we keep having to come back in here to talk about it. Why can we not make it permanent and be done with it? This is a common-sense policy that works for businesses, visitors and local economies right across Ireland. We need to go further. We need to look at night-time buses in communities.”
“When it comes to outdoor seating, it has given small, family-run business a fighting chance in the face of rising costs. Many of them invested in these spaces in good faith. They now form a core part of how these businesses operate. Take Schull, where I live, as an example. There is Townhouse O D’s, which has two beautiful outdoor areas, one on the back and one on the street. We have Jim’s café where people love to sit out and look at the ocean. Below that is the Harbour Hotel as well as Hackett’s Bar. It is great for the locality. It gives off a great vibe. Both tourists and locals love it. Sure, I would not mind being there today. I suppose anyone else would not mind being there today, especially in this weather. On the main street in Bantry, there are great cafés and restaurants with outdoor seating.”
“I welcome the continued support for outdoor seating and dining, which has proven to be one of the most practical and successful measures for our hospitality sector in recent years. This is not just about tables and chairs on a footpath. It is about breathing life back into our towns and village across Ireland, particularly in rural and coastal communities. Outdoor dining has created a vibrant atmosphere that attracts visitors, supports local jobs and keeps small businesses viable. When the 9% VAT rate was introduced, there was a lot of negativity, shamefully, in this Chamber about big fast food companies gaining. Obviously, those speaking like that do not realise that small businesses relied on the reduction of the VAT rate. We in Independent Ireland fully supported it.”
“They told us people were struggling and were fed up and they told us that the current approach was not working. While we know we cannot prevent global crises, we can prevent people being left without a plan when those crises hit. This motion is about replacing reaction with preparation and making sure that no one in this country has to protest just to be listened to again.”
“They include cuts to fuel excise to being down pump prices, VAT reductions to ease pressure on households, targeted supports for farmers, fishermen, hauliers and builders, help for small business owners struggling with overheads and direct supports for families facing impossible heating and electricity bills. Instead of delay, uncertainty and last-minute scrambling, we need certainty. Having certainty changes everything. It means a family facing a heating bill of €1,300 knows help is coming. It means workers filling their tank at €2 per litre know relief will kick in. It means a farmer planning a season is not gambling on the unknown. It means people in the building sector know exactly what the future holds. It means people are not left feeling ignored until they are forced out onto the streets. That is what the fuel protests told us.”
“We know those shocks are not going away. Fuel prices will rise again, energy costs will spike again and food prices will fluctuate again. It is a question of when, not if. People should not have to protest next time just to be heard. They should already know what will happen. The framework we propose would set out a clear trigger point. When fuel costs reach a certain level, action will be taken. When inflation rises beyond a threshold, supports will be activated. When farming inputs spike, relief will be provided. The responses must be ready in advance.”
“They were not protesting for the sake of it but because filling their car, lorry, bus, tractor or fishing vessel had become unaffordable, heating their home had become a luxury and running a business had become a gamble. They protested because they felt they had no other option left. The fundamental question is why it took protests for the Government to listen. Why does it take crisis after crisis fuelled by energy shortages and food inflation before action is taken? The system is reactive. Prices go up, people struggle, pressures build and protests happen before the Government responds. It is not good enough, it cannot continue and it is why this motion matters. We are proposing a fiscal planning framework for economic certainty. It is a system that finally would bring structure, planning and predictability into how we respond to shocks.”
“Some householders have seen their electricity and gas bills double, forcing them to ration heat and power. For the farmers and fishermen who produce our food, fertiliser costs double at times, feed prices are climbing sharply and input costs have become completely unpredictable. This is not pressure; it is a pile-on, and we all know who feels it most. It is every person who has to drive. It is every householder depending on home heating oil. It is the farmer, the fisherman, the small tourism operator and the builder trying to stay afloat. It is the hard-working men and women of this country. They are the people for whom Independent Ireland stands. They are the backbone of this country and they are barely surviving. They are the very people who took to the streets for the fuel protests.”
“People are paying €2.40 to €2.50 for 2 litre of milk. A pound of butter is pushing €5 after rising by almost 50% in five years. A simple shopping basket of bread, milk, butter and another few basics has quietly but steadily increased week after week. Food prices have been rising by 4% to 6% every year, with groceries inflation running close to 7% recently. This means the weekly shopping that previously cost €100 now costs €130. For many families, there simply is no more room left in their budget. However, the pressure does not stop at the supermarket. We have seen diesel and petrol hitting €2 per litre, crippling commuters, hauliers and anyone who depends on a car. Home heating oil costs between €1,200 and €1,500 for a standard fill, which is a bill many simply cannot afford.”
“I thank John Campbell and Marc Nolan for their assistance in putting together our motion. We have brought it forward because people across the country have been pushed to the edge. The only reason we are now having serious conversations about costs is that ordinary people had to take to the streets to be heard. The recent fuel protests did not happen by accident. They happened because people felt ignored and because workers, families, farmers, fishermen and small business owners simply could not take any more. It took that level of anger and frustration for the Government finally to recognise how severe the situation had become. That is the hard truth. When we talk about the cost-of-living crisis, let us talk about the real numbers people are dealing with every single day. Food is one of the basics. A sliced pan now costs €1.65 to €1.70.”
“There is a major crisis out there, and these parents need to know what is going to happen. By God, as I say the other night, they have massive backing.”
“As a result, many schools missed the deadline through no fault their own. Earlier, I called for a debate on the matter of providing an extension in order to ensure that no child will be left out. I was at the Silver Springs Hotel in Cork the other night where about 500 people from the Before We Die group attended a meeting. People spoke about those with intellectual disabilities. Those at the meeting are extremely frustrated with the inability of successive Governments to understand the crisis people are in. Some 78% have no formal housing, which means that parents do not know where their children are going to go when they die. Some 48% of carers are over 60, 14% are aged over 70 and 2% are aged over 80. Some 92% of adults with an intellectual disability still rely on their parents.”
“It is the Government's whole approach to people with disabilities that I would like to talk about. It is not just this issue alone. The Government has been talking about the means test for a long time, but it is still means testing carers. These are people who are giving their whole lives over to minding loved ones in their homes. Another matter, which I raised earlier today and which affects many people with disabilities is the summer programme or the July provision for children with special needs. For this year's programme, schools were given just one week's notice. Usually, they are given three to four months notice in order that they can be prepared and get their applications for funding in, which they will hopefully get. This year, they were only given one week to apply, which was extremely late on the part of the Department.”
“Instead of acting on the evidence, the Government has launched yet another consultation process. People do not need to be consulted again about whether they are struggling. They are telling the Government that they are. Failure number two was cutting supports in budget 2026. The Government removed cost-of-living payments which are worth around €1,400 a year to disabled people. While costs remain constant and unavoidable, supports are taken away. That is not reform; it is regression. Failure number three is relying on once-off measures. Disabled people are saying clearly that this is not a temporary crisis. There is permanent pressure from a cost-of-living perspective, so why is the Government still treating it like a once-off emergency? A once-off payment might help for a week, but it does not fix a lifelong cost.”
“Let us stop pretending that we do not understand the problem. The Government has had evidence for decades now, but what has changed for people with disabilities? The answer is very little, and the proof of the failure in this regard lies in the figures. Disabled people are far more likely to be living in poverty, not slightly more but multiple times more. We are talking about poverty rates of over 30% in some cases when disability costs are taken into account. We are talking about consistent poverty rates four times the national average. We are talking about people spending over half their income, and in some cases, up to 93%, just on the cost of disability. After all of that, there is no proper system in place to address it. That is not a gap; it is a failure. Failure number one is delay.”
“There should be dialogue between the public representatives and the system that we have, which is the NTA. Now, the Government wants to give it more powers. I am very concerned about giving it more liberty and power when it cannot cope with the power that it has at the moment. I ask the Minister of State to look at those areas that I spoke about. I am not trying to throw a spanner in the works and say that everything is negative, but there is certainty a lot of frustration out there about services that were promised and not delivered and others that could be issued or extended.”
“There is something up against it because we cannot open it and cannot get a discussion open on little loops to further enhance a service that is already in existence or answers to the questions about why it tendered for Dunmanway, Clonakilty, Grange and Timoleague and could not deliver. Why did it tender for Bantry, Kealkill and Macroom if it could not deliver? That is wrong. That has to be overturned and looked at. I plead with the Minister of State to look at the Castlestownhend loop and the Mizen loop because, while I will not say I have given up, I have banged so much on that door that my knuckles are worn. The NTA is not listening and will not open that door. I want to meet with it. As I am a member, I want to bring it before the transport committee to answer questions. However, that is not the way it should happen.”
“I am onto the NTA. I am on the board. I should not have to come to the Minister of State. I am there as a volunteer to deliver for people through the right channels, not to be running to the Minister of State's door every five minutes. I will go to the Minister of State, though. I appreciate that and anyone who offers an open door. I am not coming here to criticise. I am coming here to create solutions. There are solutions there. There is not a need to be blowing a budget here and there because we cannot get every little corner in the country serviced. I respect that. However, the corners that can be serviced with the service that is already there need to be looked into. The Minister of State said his door was open, but the problem is that the door of the NTA is rammed shut.”
“I can see costs. I hate to say the word "shot", but I could be for saying this. The Killarney to Skibbereen service is being used during the summer, but I sometimes wonder whether its frequency is as necessary in the winter. There can be cuts. I would not be one bit ashamed to sit down and say we should look at the numbers. However, let us deliver a proper service to people who do need it because Kealkill's is a desperate service. It has nothing. I met the residents there. People in Drinagh and Caheragh have no service. It is a terrible situation to be in that they cannot see a bus pass their doors. I have lived in that situation for long enough on the Mizen Peninsula. There were little or no services. Now, there are great services. I commend the people who delivered that. The bottom line is that more can be done, though.”
“He told me that the Killeen-Killadoon section needs to be reinstated on the Westport-Louisburgh-Killeen-Killadoon bus route. That section has been discontinued. Again, it is a huge inconvenience to people. It is like giving a dog a bone and pulling it away from them. It is going to agitate people, so why does the Government do these things? My concern is that, reading the Bill, the Government wants to give the NTA more powers. More powers to do what? To tell people that they cannot have a service? We have to look beyond the usual "No, no, no" to "Maybe". We can look at places like Drinagh, Caheragh and Kealkill. They have no service. However, there is a service coming very close to them. I said to the NTA that instead of creating a new service, it could maybe extend the service a little here and a little there and cut out costs.”
“God Almighty, it a closed door because every time it does that, it will have to retender because of the way things are going with fuel and everything. Things have become much more expensive. It comes down to the Bantry, Kealkill and Macroom councillor, Danny Collins, getting it in the neck, and myself as a public representative. Our job is to reply and to fight for those services because these people have not got an existing transport service. That is because the Government made promises beyond its reach. It should not have done that. It has to come back, and somebody has to sit down and say that a mistake was made but that they will rectify that in a month's time. At this present time, though, it is not being rectified. I have talked to people in Mayo. I talked to Councillor Chris Maxwell.”
“You would stay at home. It is the very same situation in Kealkill, Bantry and Macroom. Tenders were sought and got, but then there was no money. It was like a farce. That is not the way to treat people. The people of Kealkill have no bus service. The people of Grange have no bus service. The people of Timoleague are begging for a service. The people of Castlestownshend and the Mizen want to change the service and make slight changes. The NTA needs to sit down with the local board. It cannot sit down with everybody, and I accept that. At the very least, it could sit down with a local politician - good God Almighty, we are elected to do something for our people - and give answers. If it does not have the money now, I do not know why it put out a tender for something, but it can say that it will in two or three months.”
“However, there needs to be a little bit of a door opened where people can talk and resolve issues. Let us move to the next situation. When I talk about Castletownshend, I am talking about people like Councillor Daniel Sexton, who is getting it in the ear. He is our councillor down there. People are telling him that he cannot deliver, is useless or whatever. All the other councillors are hearing the same thing. It is the same with Councillor Danny Collins down in Kealkill. I cannot understand how the NTA does this. It put forward a tender for Dunmanway, Clonakilty, Grange and Timoleague. Tenders were put out and got back. Prices were got, but it was a case of saying "Sorry" because there was no money. In the name of God, it is like going to the shop to buy a bag of spuds and having no money in your pocket. You would not go to the shop.”
“If we go down to Mizen Head, we are looking for another loop. The bus goes in one way and takes the bus out the same road. We are asking about going in one way and out the other. It is not one foot extra. It takes in about an extra 15 to 20 houses along the route, which would be fantastic, especially for elderly people who do not have a transport service. There was no answer and no movement. Now, the Government wants to give that same body powers, pat it on the back and tell it to take over more responsibilities so that it can shut the people out. That is not good enough. I do not want to stand here being critical because we did get new services, and we are very glad to have them. It was more than just one or two. There is the one from the Beara. There is the one going down into Kilcrohane and Bantry. They are brilliant services.”
“It is about small things, small improvements and common-sense improvements. I have been on the board of Local Link for 20 years. I never took a brown cent. When people hear the word "board", they think we are all on the coin. I never took a brown cent from it because it delivered. In the past two years, we are delivering nothing to the people. We are looking for a loop in Castletownshend. There is a bus service going down to Castletownshend. People are very happy with that. It is the same with the Mizen one. For the past year and a half, they have been pleading for a loop so that the service could go in one way and out another. It is as simple as that. A child could put it together for the NTA. Will it make a move, though? Will it sit down and talk to people? Not at all. It is above everybody.”
“What works in central Dublin with a dense population, short travel distances and existing public transport networks does not translate neatly into rural Ireland or regional towns. Will this Bill genuinely deliver balanced regional development or will it simply extend a Dublin-centric model across the country? We are told that this about efficiency, speeding up delivery and cutting red tape. However, my experience of the NTA is completely the opposite. As a Cork man, it is something that the Minister of State needs to understand. My experience of the NTA is poor. The NTA is poor on delivery. It is poor on communication. It kind of reminds of Uisce Éireann, although I do not think it was like that at one time. It is like it is untouchable. We cannot communicate with it. We cannot make sense.”
“This legislation hands significant powers to a centralised body, the National Transport Authority, allowing it to step beyond the greater Dublin area and effectively act as a national infrastructure delivery agency. Up until now, the NTA has had these powers primarily in Dublin. This Bill expands that model nationwide. This means that decisions about transport infrastructure in Cork, Kerry, Donegal or anywhere else could increasingly be taken in Dublin offices rather than the local authorities in local communities. That raises serious questions. Infrastructure is not just about roads and bus corridors. It is about people, communities, businesses and local realities. One size does not fit all.”
“This is a short Bill on paper, but one that carries significant consequences for how transport is planned and delivered across the country. Nobody on this side of the House is against better public transport. Far from it. For far too long, rural Ireland and regions like west Cork have been left behind when it comes to investment in transport infrastructure. People in our communities have been crying out for reliable bus services, safer networks and real connectivity for decades. In principle, any effort to improve delivery and bring investment into the regions is to be welcomed, but - and it is a very big but - we need to be absolutely clear about what the Bill is doing.”
“The summer programme or July provision is essential for children with special educational needs. This year, schools were given just one week to apply with late notice from the Department. Many schools missed the deadline through no fault of their own. I call for a debate on this issue and for an extension to ensure no child loses out.”
“It is time to strengthen accountability, to ensure that individuals and not just companies are held responsible and to fix a system where people can walk away from the damage they have caused and simply start again because at the end of the day, this is not about regulation on paper. It is about real people, real losses, real health issues and real consequences. It is about people I have sat down with and listened to - people who are left devastated and even suicidal. Right now, far too many people are being left to carry the cost alone.”
“Meanwhile the very individuals who are responsible can shut down one company, walk away and set up again under a different name still operating, still authorised and still dealing with people's money. This is simply not good enough. What message does that send? It sends the message that there are no real consequences for those who mislead or fail their clients. We are told compensation schemes exist but they are limited and do not cover the reality of what many people have lost. For someone who has lost his or her pension or savings, €20,000 is not protection; it is an insult. What is the point of Central Bank registration if it offers no real protection when it is needed most? I raised this issue before and people out there listening today will be asking what has changed because from where they stand, nothing has changed.”
“They went to financial advisers in good faith and like anyone else, they took reassurance from seeing that these advisers were registered with the Central Bank of Ireland. They believed that meant something. They believed it meant oversight, protection and accountability but when things go wrong, and I have seen this at first hand in my own constituency, the reassurance counts for little. People have lost hundreds of thousands or even millions of euro of their life savings and what are they told? They are told the Central Bank does not deal with the individual complaints and are sent down a long road of process and paperwork while their futures hang in the balance.”
“I want to speak on behalf of ordinary decent people out there who did the right thing all their lives. They worked hard, saved carefully and tried to put some money aside for their retirement. The problem is what happens when they are struck down with cancer, which is a very serious ailment that can in some cases lead to life-threatening situations. In more cases, it does not and they make a good recovery. There has to be some leverage there for these people who have gone back to normal life and deserve that understanding of the situation they are in. There is not much understanding in the financial sector for such people because I have heard from people who were not wealthy investors but rather were farmers, small business owners or working families.”
“That was true of so many of them I met and on whose behalf I pleaded but we were met with deaf ears. It is an awful situation for people to find themselves in, about to lose the home their children are living in or their business that provides food for their families, be they man or woman. I represented so many of them. I saw them and I know where they ended up because of it and that is a shocking indictment of a Government that does not care. The USC is a pittance for the Government to hand back to the State after what it has taken from people and what it has cost this country. That was under the leadership of Fianna Fáil. The bodies in place, whether vulture funds or NAMA, should have sat down with the people who wanted to sit down and found a way forward, rather than just grabbing. Let us call them what they were - vultures.”
“How many people have died because of this? It is an astonishing question to ask, but I guarantee the Government has no understanding. How many people died in despair? How many people went home and ended their lives? The Government is afraid to answer that question because it is a true fact. It is a fact. They lost their lives because they lost their businesses and homes. They begged for help but they got nothing in return from a State that cost them their lives. It cost people their businesses but, more importantly, it cost people their lives. It is astonishing that it will never, ever be known. It is the hidden secret and crisis of this country, where people would not sit down with those who were facing difficult times because they borrowed. They over-borrowed. I accept that but they wanted to negotiate their way out.”
“That means not just shutting down institutions but finally addressing the unfair, so-called temporary burdens that were supposed to go with those institutions. Deputy O'Donoghue raised the issue of the good, honest business people and householders who tried their level best to communicate with NAMA and get out of a crisis. Not everybody wants to screw the State, to use an unsavoury word, and not everybody has that in mind, but people do fall into difficulties. Like the Minister of State and many other Deputies, I have dealt with numerous people in that situation who wanted to pay their way out, and sit down and do a deal, but who were refused by NAMA and the vulture funds. It was all one big happy connection. It was a case of grabbing people's property, putting them out of business and destroying their lives.”
“That brings us back to the Bill, which transfers enormous powers to the NTMA, including litigation, asset management and broad confidentiality provisions. As we do that, we must not allow transparency to disappear along with NAMA. We need firm guarantees that the Oireachtas will retain real oversight, reporting will be full and accessible and every remaining asset, liability and legal matter is fully accounted for. The taxpayers paid for this system and the taxpayers deserve the full truth at the end. We should complete the wind-down of NAMA and close these bodies, but the public should not be asked to accept closure when they are still footing the bill. The end of the banking crisis must mean something real for people who paid for it.”
“They are ordinary workers and families trying to make ends meet, people in communities all over Ireland who were already stretched and are stretched even further now with the cost of living. They did their part, carried the burdens and paid what they were asked to pay, and now, when the State is closing the very institution that justified that USC charge, these same people are being told that nothing changes for them. This is not fairness or honesty, and the public can see straight through it. If NAMA can be wound up and the IBRC can be consigned to history, the Government needs to explain why one of the most visible symbols of that crisis, the USC, remains firmly in place. Otherwise, people will rightly conclude that while the crisis may be over for the State, it is not over for them.”
“The public were told it was temporary and necessary in a time of crisis and it would be removed when the crisis passed. The Government is telling us today that the crisis is over, NAMA is being shut down and the IBRC is being wrapped up. We are being told the clean-up is complete. Here is the simple question. If the crisis is over, why is the USC still being taken out of workers' wages every week? We have to be honest about it. The USC has become a permanent tax by stealth. It is no longer an emergency measure and no longer temporary. It is now baked into the system, quietly taking from pay packets across the country. The people who are paying it are the very same people who had no role whatsoever in causing the banking collapse.”
“I will start where Deputy O'Donoghue left off in his excellent speech. I will just give an overview of where people stand in relation to NAMA. This Bill marks what the Government will present as a final chapter in the State's response to the banking collapse. We are being asked to wind up NAMA and transfer what remains of the IBRC into the NTMA to close the emergency structures created during one of the darkest periods in our financial history. In principle, that is the right thing to do. These bodies were always meant to be temporary. We need to be clear that while the Government is closing the institutions of the crisis, the people are still paying for it. Nowhere is this more obvious or more unjust than in the ongoing existence of the universal social charge. The USC was introduced as a temporary emergency tax.”
“They do not want Irish neutrality chipped away bit by bit while politicians in Dublin pretend nothing is changing. Neutrality is not a weakness. It has kept Ireland independent and allowed Ireland to speak with credibility on the world stage and to act as peacekeepers and humanitarians. Once this independence is surrendered, it will not be easy to get it back. Independent Ireland stands firmly with the Irish people on this issue. We should protect the triple lock and neutrality and, above all else, trust the people enough to let them have their say.”
“If the Government truly believes the Irish people wants to abandon neutrality, it should have the courage to put the removal of the triple lock to a referendum. Let the Irish people decide our future, not the rest of the world. Independent Ireland strongly believes we can support and strengthen our Defence Forces while remaining proudly neutral. Those two things are not contradictory. Our Naval Service needs ships, our airspace needs protection, our soldiers deserve proper pay and conditions and our Defence Forces need investment after years of neglect, but strengthening our Defence Forces' capability is a very different thing from dragging Ireland closer and closer to European military structures. People in Ireland understand this clearly.”
“It can dress it up whatever way it likes, but ordinary people see through it. The triple lock is there to stop the Government of the day sending Irish troops overseas without proper checks and balances. It requires the approval of the United Nations, the Government and the Dáil. This is not some inconvenience; it is democracy. Let us not rewrite history either. When the people rejected the Nice treaty, and later the Lisbon treaty, neutrality was one of the biggest concerns raised. The Government of the day came back to the people with solemn guarantees that neutrality and the triple lock would be respected. Now years later, the Government wants to quietly row back on those commitments again, without ever asking the people. That is wrong.”
“Independent Ireland supports Deputy Stanley's motion. Some people in politics today are trying to paint neutrality as old-fashioned, outdated or somehow weak. The people of Ireland do not see it that way at all. The people understand neutrality because it is about independence. It is about Ireland making its own decisions, not taking orders from Brussels or NATO and not being dragged into conflicts that are not ours. For generations, neutrality has served this country well. We are a small nation, but we have earned respect across the world because Irish soldiers went abroad as peacekeepers, not as occupiers. Irish troops have worn the blue helmet of the UN with honour. Families across Ireland are proud of that service. Now the Government wants to tamper with the triple lock.”
“If local people are looking for planning permission, they are being refused. From the day I was elected, there has always been a difficulty for somebody in getting planning permission. It was an absolute crisis for many people. One person in my own constituency even spent €10,000 and was refused. They spent that astonishing amount. I recall about 30 years ago, for €22,000, I had a house built with a garage next to it. Now I would hardly get off the ground with that. The bottom line is that it is difficult but it is not been made any easier. We are not concentrating on solutions. There are solutions out there and they need to be looked at going forward.”
“It does not matter if it is a single mother or father or a couple. It affects everybody and it hurts deep. The difficulty is to try to find a home for those people. These difficulties are exacerbated because our bigger cities are bursting at the seams whereas some of our towns could take a lot of those pressures. County development plans, as they come before the people, are no longer councillor-led. They are dictated from the top. People end up getting very little chance of coming to live in areas such as mine in west Cork. Wastewater treatment plants are bursting at the seams and water systems are inadequate and cannot feed homes. People look for planning permission, whether it is one or two houses or whatever. If a developer looks for five or six, he cannot get it and he may be willing to move them on.”