Michael Murphy
Tipperary South · Fine Gael · Ireland
“I want to briefly amplify what has already been said about Uisce Éireann. South Tipperary is in crisis, with 38,0000 households on a prolonged boil water notice. Most of the key towns are more often than not without water. Will the Taoiseach request a meeting for the Oireachtas Members with the CEO of Uisce Éireann, Mr. Gleeson?”
“The problem is numbers. The programme for Government rightly speaks about balanced regional development, yet when it comes to Garda resources, there is nothing balanced about the current approach. This year, 356 recruits graduated from Templemore over two intakes, and just two came to the entire county of Tipperary.”
“Businesses are witnessing open drug dealing in prime retail areas, families are increasingly concerned about antisocial behaviour and criminal gangs operate with increased confidence. At the same time, Garda visibility has reduced dramatically.”
“I am immensely proud to represent the constituency of Tipperary South, a constituency blessed with extraordinary strengths, great history, strong employment, great outdoors, an outstanding tourism offering, wonderful retail and hospitality businesses, and above all extraordinary community spirit.”
“This is about fairness. Just two gardaí have been allocated to Tipperary this year, with 245 going to the Dublin metropolitan region. Criminal gangs are operating with increased confidence in my constituency. Our gardaí on the ground in south Tipperary deserve reinforcement.”
“Will the Minister commit to organising a meeting for all Oireachtas Members in south Tipperary - I note Deputy Healy is in the room, as well as Deputy McGrath - in order to review the allocation model, particularly as it applies to south Tipperary, and more importantly, to explore a review of the Clare-Tipperary divisional structure, whic…”
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“I welcome the engagement launched by the Minister for Finance with the HSE and the fact that he has asked his departmental officials to examine the matter in conjunction with Revenue. In the event of an update following that engagement, will the Minister update the House?”
“I am calling on the Minister to personally intervene with the Revenue Commissioners to give urgent clarity that benefit-in-kind does not apply when it comes to emergency vehicles that are fully equipped and fully marked.”
“Such vehicles are not a luxury, and in the context of my intervention, they are not a benefit-in-kind. Our National Ambulance Service managers are not just first responders, they play a crucial role in critical incident operation, planning and management. I also acknowledge the many first responders, members of more than 200 community groups who volunteer and make themselves available in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest. Every effort must be made to find a resolution between senior management of the HSE and the director of the National Ambulance Service. This decision, if implemented, may lead to National Ambulance Service managers no longer being in a position to rapidly respond to calls out of hours when required. Lives could potentially be lost.”
“That particular instruction was confirmed by the Health Service Executive in a statement: The HSE must comply with Revenue Commissioner regulations in relation to what in this case is the potential personal use of publicly owned vehicles. All HSE employees are covered by these rules. The HSE National Ambulance Service has identified that the number of incidents responded to by vehicle users outside of working hours is minimal. The statement concluded, "As a public body, the HSE cannot support the use of publicly owned emergency vehicles for purposes that the Revenue Commissioner considers potential personal use or benefit." I do not think there is any doubt these National Ambulance Service managers are heroes at the local level. Put very simply, they save lives. These are fully equipped and marked emergency vehicles.”
“I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I also pay tribute to former councillor Joe Bourke, from Templemore, who passed away this evening. I had Joe Bourke here in Leinster House a number of weeks ago. Unfortunately, Joe had not been well. I had the distinction of serving with Joe on Tipperary County Council and on the Southern Regional Assembly. He was a man of exceptional traits and character and a real positive force within his community. I am thinking of his family and extended family this evening. On 10 February, managers at the National Ambulance Service were instructed not to bring their staff vehicles home out of hours until a dispute over benefit-in-kind had been resolved.”
“I begin by offering my congratulations to the Leas-Cheann Comhairle on his elevation. I hope his new role does not distract him from continuing to represent my in-laws in Kilkenny city, namely John and Noeleen Breen.”
“Would the Minister of State agree there is an extremely important role that can be played by local authorities and local enterprise offices, LEOs, in terms of accelerating the digital agenda? They have a relationship with their SMEs on the ground. I am conscious that many small SMEs do not have the requisite capacity and could benefit greatly from better engagement with local authorities and local enterprise offices.”
“Could the Taoiseach provide an update on the new proposed Garda station in Clonmel and tell me whether a contractor has been appointed? I welcome the commitment in the programme for Government to provide funding for 5,000 additional gardaí during the lifetime of this mandate. Ensuring law and order is also a challenge for towns and villages in rural Ireland, including my constituency of Tipperary South - towns like Tipperary, Cashel, Cahir, Clonmel, Carrick-on-Suir and Fethard. It is so important that we strengthen and better resource the community policing model at a local level. Can the Taoiseach give me an assurance that constituencies like Tipperary South will get their fair share of the additional gardaí that will come on stream during the lifetime of this Government?”
“I ask for an update on URDF funding. My hometown of Clonmel is ready to submit an application. That application is shovel-ready. To date there has been an investment of more than €1 million by Tipperary County Council. The project focuses on the regeneration and re-imagination of the public realm in the town centre within the historic heart of Clonmel. This funding is crucial to towns like Clonmel in terms of realising our ambition to be key regional economic drivers, as set out in the region's economic spatial strategy. I appeal to the Minister to launch URDF call 4 at the earliest opportunity.”
“Increasingly, we are experiencing adverse weather, and an ability to plan and prepare for all disruptions must be prioritised. I call on the Minister of State to engage with the CCMA and the emergency co-ordination response team in this regard. We can often be critical of local authorities, but if we empower them, provide the additional resources they need and ensure closer co-operation, they can deliver with precision and in a timely manner. Local authorities are the first line of defence. As I said, I call for closer co-operation and that memorandum of understanding between local authorities to be given careful consideration.”
“As it stands right now, Clare County Council does not come to the assistance of Limerick City and County Council, Limerick City and County Council does not come to the assistance of Tipperary County Council, Tipperary County Council does not come to the assistance of Waterford City and County Council and so on. Practically speaking, it would enable local authorities to share equipment and personnel while sharing good practice across the sector. Where any county or region is disproportionately affected, it should be possible to mobilise additional services from neighbouring local authorities unaffected by the weather event. A memorandum of understanding would give that additional layer of security to local authorities that help will be provided if possible. This needs careful consideration.”
“Like those who spoke previously, I pay tribute to council workers, utility workers and Civil Defence and community volunteers for their extraordinary efforts during recent weather events. What was evident to me, however, was that local authorities were not as prepared as they should have been. It is a fact that in many of these weather events, not all counties are impacted. A memorandum of understanding between local authorities would provide for a strong package of supports between local authorities, safeguarding adequate service delivery during adverse challenges such as the recent weather event we have just seen. I give the example of the ESB Networks and the close co-operation that exists between its counterparts across the European Union.”
“I will follow earlier precedent, this being my maiden speech, to thank the people of south Tipperary for putting confidence in me to be their legislator and parliamentarian at the national level. I am very much looking forward to the opportunities and challenges ahead, and I am always conscious of the trust placed in me by the electorate of south Tipperary. I want to reflect on the role of local authorities having regard to recent weather events, not just Storm Éowyn but also, for example, the cold snap in early January that brought my constituency of south Tipperary to a standstill, leading to unprecedented disruption for communities and, indeed, small businesses across the county. This for me has underscored the need for local authorities to work together and share resources during these adverse weather conditions.”