Paul Lawless
Mayo · Aontú · Ireland
“Confidence in our education system depends on quality resources but parents remain seriously concerned about inappropriate material that is being promoted in our schools, libraries, etc. Concerns have been raised in relation to the book What's the T?”
“They would make up a higher proportion of the membership of the Dáil than is the case at Westminster. Aontú's leader, Deputy Peadar Tóibín, during his time on the Oireachtas enterprise committee, completed the first Oireachtas report on the all-island economy.”
“Difference is an accident of birth and it should therefore never be the source of hatred or conflict. The answer to difference is to respect it. Therein lies a most fundamental principle of peace — respect for diversity. Aontú believes fundamentally in a united Ireland.”
“It is important that those who oppose a united Ireland - who are now a minority on this island, and increasingly so - are treated as equals and with the respect they deserve in the discussions relating to a united Ireland. I have good friends from the Protestant tradition to whom I speak on a near daily basis.”
“The Tánaiste once said that he wanted to make Ireland the best country in the world in which to raise a child. He is failing in that regard. We have a situation where we have record homelessness among children, spinal surgery waiting lists and children with special needs or disabilities who are waiting for supports.”
“Rather than celebrating and respecting our differences and our right to be different politically or religiously, they wish to make us all the same. They want to make us all apolitical atheists who never speak on or campaign in respect of the issues.”
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“There is so much more we can and should do and it is important to raise that in the context of International Women's Day.”
“I have seen this in my work in weekly constituency clinics and it is devastating to have to sit down with constituents who tell me they are ready for treatment and know their cancer is progressing. I try to get them seen, but the system cannot facilitate them. Early diagnosis and early treatment are fundamentally important. In recent weeks, Aontú discovered there is a 15% difference in breast cancer survival rates depending on the county a woman is from. A woman from Limerick has only an 80% chance of being alive in five years after breast cancer but a woman from Cavan has a 95% chance of surviving cancer within a five-year period. That is really quite incredible. There are many targets from the Irish Cancer Society that are still not being reached.”
“Many screening services are still playing catch-up from those shutdowns and many cancers have gone undiagnosed until it was too late. In my constituency recently, screening was paused for a gentleman, not because he was not ready, but because the system could not cope. That is incredible. Not only are there delays and backlogs in screening, but there are major delays in treatment as well. Last year, the HSE told us that 72% of patients deemed fit for radiation treatment start it within three weeks of being diagnosed. This means that one quarter of cancer patients who are ready for treatment are left waiting for three weeks to receive radiation treatment.”
“We can do a lot more to protect women in this country in relation to screening. I have seen many statistics on breast cancer and survival rates, the delays in treatment in some hospitals and the backlog that exists and has existed for some time in breast cancer screening services and the geographical disparity is concerning. Breast cancer affects almost every family at some stage, and we need to ensure the best possible outcomes, early diagnosis and early treatment are available for all women. Some 250,000 fewer people were screened for breast cancer, cervical cancer and bowel cancer in 2020 than in 2019 - 250,000 fewer people. This was as a result of the Government shutdown due to Covid-19. It is incredible that those services were shut and that, as a result, 250,000 fewer people were screened.”
“I am grateful to speak on International Women's Day. I take this opportunity to remember the great Dolores Keane, who passed away recently. She was a wonderful woman who was raised in a small cottage in the west of Ireland by her aunts Rita and Sarah. She went on to amazing things. With her unique voice and her charm she represented Ireland remarkably over many years. The likes of Dolores, who had such a special talent, we will sadly not see again. May she rest in peace. I know everyone in the House will join me in offering our condolences. Dolores Keane died in the week we are celebrating International Women's Day. It is not lost on anyone that she passed away in a week when we are celebrating women in this country and right across the world. Dolores spoke openly in recent years about her successful battle against breast cancer.”
“We are experiencing an energy crisis. The cost of fuel is spiralling out of control. People are struggling. The reality is that the vast majority of what we pay at the pump goes to the Government in taxation. In 2024, the Government took in over €4 billion in fuel tax. In 2024, carbon tax reached €1 billion. Aontú was the only party to vote against the carbon tax because we knew it would drive up the cost of fuel. These energy costs are going to drive up inflation across the economy. People in rural Ireland cannot afford to pay these prices any longer. They have no other option to get to work. When is the Government going to reduce the cost of fuel during this energy crisis? The cost in question is crippling for families at the moment.”
“I ask the Minister of State to reduce the cost of fuel during this crisis, to give our businesses and consumers a break and to try to keep down the cost of living in Ireland.”
“The cost of construction is rising every week and this man has a number of vans and lorries on the road. He is massively concerned because he will have to pass that on to the consumer. In this case, the consumer is a prospective homeowner who cannot afford it either. That is the consequence of this. We have not even talked about electricity costs. They are the highest in Europe. That needs to be looked at. Consumers in Ireland pay significantly more per unit of energy than data centres. How is that fair? How is it the case that struggling families in Mayo, Donegal or Cork are paying more per unit of energy than data centres, and the highest in Europe? All of these things are driving the cost of doing business and driving inflation.”
“It could reduce the tax take on fuel. It is already the majority of the cost we pay for fuel. I talk to rural commuters all the time. They ask what alternative they have. If you are living in Ballyhaunis and working in Castlebar, living in Newport and working in Westport or living in Killala and working in Ballina, you do not have the option of getting a bus. Buses are simply not an option. You cannot get to work on time and get home to collect your kids. You have no alternative to the car. This is an act against the Irish people. This is wrong. We cannot continue to subject Irish people to increasing costs, irrespective of what that future cost will be. I spoke to another businessman, a man in the construction sector whose margins are really tight.”
“I ask the Minister of State to suspend the increase in carbon tax that is going to come into play in May of this year, just a couple of months away. The tax burden on fuel must be reduced. Carbon tax must be suspended until this crisis is over. Commuters cannot afford it any longer. We have already had increases in tolls in recent years. There are many parts of Ireland where motorists are hit with a number of tolls on the way to work. Haulage companies cannot afford this. They tell me they cannot take the hit and will pass on this increase. Who will be disproportionately affected? The answer is consumers who are already struggling. There are so many people struggling. I have listened to the Government talk of its concerns about fuel, the cost of living and so on. It could do something today about this crisis.”
“As a result, people have to get in their cars and drive. It is wrong that the Government is driving up the cost of fuel without providing those alternatives. With regard to the tax take, the trajectory is extraordinary. I have gone through the data and we have submitted a number of parliamentary questions on this matter. The tax take on fuel continues to rise. Although there was a slight reduction during the Ukrainian situation, in monetary terms the rise is on a significant upward trajectory. Let us take carbon tax as an example. In 2019, the Government took in €360 million. Last year, in 2024, that figure rose to €920 million, and it is going to continue to rise for 2025 and 2026. Carbon tax levied on natural gas raised €64 million in 2020, rising to €125 million in 2024. That is a doubling of the tax take.”
“The Government's quest to drive up the cost of fuel directly correlates with the cost of living. We cannot afford this any more. The cost of living is rising very high and the cost of fuel is a significant and direct contributor to that. On behalf of all of the people across Ireland who are struggling to pay their bills, I urge the Minister of State to suspend carbon tax and to reduce the cost of fuel during this crisis. In the past decade, this Government has taken more than €35 billion in tax on fuel, and a significant portion of that comes from carbon tax. I come from a rural constituency where we do not have the necessary public transport. The Minister of State's Government decided to introduce a carbon tax, offering a stick to push people onto public transport, but those options are not available.”
“We were the only party in this Chamber to vote against the climate action Bill and we did so because it locked Ireland into increasing carbon tax. Irrespective of this crisis and what is going to happen to the cost of fuel over the coming weeks, the Minister of State's Government has committed to increasing carbon tax. This is despite the fact we do not know what the cost of fuel is going to be. That is wrong. We have to give rural Ireland and the logistics companies a break. The truth is that we are an island country with a rural population, particularly along the west coast. Every single piece of food in our shops comes on the back of a lorry. Every item of clothing we wear comes on the back of a lorry. Literally everything a household needs comes on the back of a lorry.”
“I have been speaking to hauliers and logistics companies and they have been telling me about increases of 10 cent and 20 cent per litre of fuel. It is an extraordinary cost. There is price gouging going on here and that must be examined. These prices shot up overnight despite the fact that the oil and the fuel in the pumps had been purchased prior to this crisis. This is an issue and it has happened before. This price gouging is not new. It must be investigated. We cannot allow opportunism in this situation. I welcome the fact the Taoiseach recently outlined that he is concerned about price gouging and has recommended that the CCPC take a look. However, what about the Government's price gouging? What about the fact the cost of fuel is rising year on year? It is excessive and wrong.”
“That information will help and assist those individuals. The evacuation flights that have been organised are very welcome but €800 is a significant fee for many individuals. It is almost double what a chartered flight costs. The British Government is offering flights for about £350. I ask the Minister of State to look at that. This is really a crisis situation. These are vulnerable people identified by the embassy and they deserve every opportunity to get home in a reasonable fashion. I will also raise the very important issue of the cost of fuel. This crisis in the Middle East is going to cause devastation right across Ireland as a result of its impact on the cost of living. The price of home heating oil has increased by almost 50% in recent days.”
“I have great empathy for the people and citizens right across the Middle East. This morning, I spoke to a mother whose daughter is in Abu Dhabi. For the past number of nights, she has been awoken from her sleep by missiles and bombs. She is located beside a US military base. What is happening is really frightening. It is devastating. Many Irish citizens are out in the Middle East and are really anxious and worried for their safety. Many of those individuals have registered with the Department or with the embassy in the UAE. I know there is frustration at the lack of information. While this is, of course, a time of great uncertainty, I ask the Minister of State to work with the embassy to make sure there are regular updates and that our Irish citizens abroad have the latest information. This database already exists. There is huge fear.”
“I thank the Minister of State for her work on this. It is a very important issue. It is important that we get it right, and it is important that we protect these very vulnerable people and make sure we create a system that is as simple and straightforward for them as possible.”
“What safeguards are in place, and what criteria are applied to ensure there is a smooth transition from the old system to the new system? If people are not allowed to touch their bank accounts for decades and all of a sudden, they are given access to their assets and their money, there is a real and significant fear - I know the Minister of State is aware of this - that they could spend all their money on Monday and end up homeless on Tuesday. That is a significant concern. I urge the Minister of State to ensure we protect these people. Does the fact that these 38 individuals have been deemed to be capable of making their own decisions mean they should never have been wards of court in the first place? If that is the case, what is the Minister of State's position in relation to it? Will there be an apology for same, etc.?”
“The specific legislation we are debating today is obviously about wards of court. The Government is trying to move people out of the old system and into the assisted decision-making system. However, it has failed to meet the legislative deadline it set for itself and so is ultimately extending it. I want the Minister of State to explain today, if she can, why the deadline was not met. What are the barriers she has come up against in relation to it? What are the steps that are being taken to address this to ensure that the next deadline will not be pushed out further? I listened carefully to the Minister of State's contribution earlier and the figures she provided. She said that that 390 wards of court had been discharged, with 38 of them requiring no decision-making assistance. I am concerned about that figure.”
“That should really be looked at to see how we can maintain that legal ground and make sure we are doing everything right legally. We have to give everyone the opportunity to make sure because some people will fall through the cracks here. I understand the DSS has been getting between 80 and 100 phone calls per day in terms of queries. That is another example of the difficulties out there. We need to make sure that people who need the service, whether they are elderly or people with disabilities, should be able to get a physical copy of the form and send it in the post without ever having to go online. That option should be available to them. My understanding currently is that it is an online process, but I will stand corrected if that is not the case. I was informed by a constituent in relation to it.”
“Some of the people involved in the process have told me there is a real struggle. We need to look at simplifying it. We should look to see how we can make it a simpler process. One constituent outlined to me how it involves multiple trips to the solicitor. This particular individual is a wheelchair user, and that posed additional costs and stresses and so on. Then of course there are lots of other difficult scenarios, and trying to navigate them has been incredibly difficult, as I know from dealing and working with constituents. I ask the Minister of State to really look at that. I know it is complex, and there are legal considerations, but the other side of it is that these people are very vulnerable as well in many cases.”
“I am very glad to have the opportunity to debate this legislation this evening. Before I get into the specifics of the Bill, I want to talk about the enduring power of attorney, which comes under the assisted decision-making Act and is incredibly complicated. I have dealt with this with a few constituents in my own county of Mayo. Trying to get the power of attorney is very difficult, complicated and unfriendly. The system is very difficult to navigate through. I always tell and advise people to make sure they get the power of attorney even at times when they do not need it because they may need it in the future. Most people do not look at it until there is a diagnosis of ill health, whether that is dementia or whatever else. It is important that people do not leave it too late.”
“It is proposed to move the DSU unit from Ballyhaunis to Castlerea, which will cause mayhem in Ballyhaunis, including for the affected staff. Ballyhaunis has lost so much in recent years, including banks and reduced hours in the credit union. It is really important that we protect that DSU.”
“We are going to see the loss of further post offices over the coming years unless there is a significant change in how we support post offices. I will give one example in my area of east Mayo. I spoke to the postmaster in Kilkelly post office. Nine banks have closed in the surrounding region, including in Charlestown, Kiltimagh and Ballyhaunis. As a result of that, there has been an increasing level of service delivery in Kilkelly post office and in the surrounding post offices in Knock, Kiltimagh, Ballyhaunis and all those towns. There is a real threat that we are now going to lose them as well. I ask the Minister to seriously address this significant threat. We will see further closures particularly as postmasters retire.”
“I acknowledge the great work of the postmasters and all those who work in the post offices across the country. They have done so under immense financial pressure, opening at weekends, opening late providing tremendous value in terms of the social support that they provide so many people, in particular older people and vulnerable people. I also want to commend Catherine Delaney of Tulrohaun post office who gave 70 years of service to her community in County Mayo and who retired recently. She is a tremendous woman with a wonderful family who has worked so hard in delivering so well for the Tulrohaun, Bekan and Ballyhaunis communities. There are significant concerns about financial pressures that An Post is driving here.”
“The week before this news broke, I asked the Minister of State about the budget and the timelines for delivery of more SNAs and special education teachers. I outlined the difficulty so many families and special educational schools are facing. It seems the NCSE is actually steering the ship here. I urge the Minister to get in control of that agency and ensure families and children with disabilities are protected.”
“It is a fundamentally important role and to reduce it is unfair to the children, the SNAs and indeed the entire school community. The review and circular do not take account of the student who has autism and may require additional regulation and sensory support. They do not take account of the student who has a specific learning difficulty like dyslexia and may need a little assistance in reading, writing and so on. It is the Minister's job now to ensure that the SNA circular reflects the job the SNA actually does on the ground. Any reduction or narrowing of the scope will not be accepted. It is incredible that it was the families and SNAs across the country who had to sound the alarm on this issue.”
“SNAs are not add-ons in the education system. They are fundamentally important. They are enablers for so many children. They are the link to allow a student to access education, the bridge to get them over the barriers that so many students face. That is the reality. What the Government is doing, and what the circular and review have outlined, is reducing and narrowing the role of an SNA. The reality on the ground is that SNAs are providing many wonderful learning opportunities for children. To diminish that into just the primary and physical need, to reduce it to toileting and so on, is disingenuous and fundamentally unfair to the wonderful work that SNAs are doing. I urge the Minister to address the circular, refine the role, professionalise the SNA sector, and allow SNAs the training and opportunities to flourish in their role.”
“It has removed up to €1,400 in payments from these people. However, it is promising them things for next year and the year after. This payment must be reintroduced.”
“There is a cost to having a disability, which is in the region of €15,000 per year. Despite this, payments to people with disabilities were cut by up to €1,400 in the most recent budget. I asked the Minister on several occasions why these supports were removed. The answer I received indicated that it was because there are further supports coming. When I speak to people with disabilities, they do not see this happening. It is a very curious form of compassion to make cuts today on the basis of promises of supports next year or the year after. The Minister has responsibility for the public purse. I ask him to prioritise people with disabilities. The Government failed them in the context of the budget. This matter was a priority before the general election. The Government has forgotten about that priority. That is a fact.”
“It is fundamentally important that fishermen can receive supports. It is hard to believe that farmers who have assets and are very successful business people are receiving CAP payments, while fishermen are asked to provide their bank account details in the Department's own survey. They are struggling to survive and struggling to sustain all of the costs of the fishing industry. How is that fair? The answer is that it is not fair. I ask the Minister of State to do everything he can, until we can ramp up the quotas, to protect the fishermen who still exist in Mayo and across this country.”
“They do not know if they can wait until they get a reprieve or until their quotas are lifted. They may be gone. One gentleman asked me what there is for him to stay for. That is what is happening. If we break that link, it will be gone for generations. It is fundamentally important that the inshore fishermen are fairly represented on the Government task force. Inshore fisheries make up 90% of the vessels and the vast majority of employment in the fishing industry. Fishermen are very concerned that they will not get a fair shake in relation to the task force. There are negotiations on the Common Agricultural Policy. I believe it is unfair that fishermen are completely locked out of this. I ask the Minister of State to look into this with regard to the next CAP. He will be the Minister of State during this period.”
“I want to say clearly here in the Dáil that fishermen are the backbone of these rural, coastal economies. They are fundamentally important. If we get rid of them, if we lose them, and they are on the brink, what will become of these coastal towns? What will become of our fishermen? What will become of this wonderful intergenerational industry? What will become of the skill sets that we have built up for so many years? The Minister of State knows that this is fundamentally important. With Brexit, the Government sold the fishermen down the line. The Hague preferences came, and they were sold down the line. Now, they are teetering on the brink. I have met many fishermen in Erris, Belmullet and Achill Island. They have said to me very clearly that they do not know if they will survive.”
“At the moment, if a farmer in Donegal is applying for planning permission for a slurry tank, there may be an objection from Cork, Wicklow or Wexford that has no interest. This is causing major delays in the system, and I ask the Minister of State to ensure that that can no longer be tolerated. It should not be tolerated. It is also important to say that many of these planning applications are hundreds and thousands of pages long. We should streamline that because in such a long application, in an application that spans thousands of words, pages and documents, it is leaving us ripe for judicial reviews. That is another major aspect holding progress back on these issues. I wish the Minister of State well and look forward to working with him on these projects over the years ahead.”
“I urge the Minister of State to do everything necessary to streamline the planning process. Flood defences are critical infrastructure, and it is simply intolerable that a planning process can go on for so many years. There are families across Ireland who, in the depths of winter, in the nights of storms, cannot sleep, such is the level of worry and stress. I urge the Minister of State to prioritise the planning process, to adequately staff it, to adequately staff An Coimisiún Pleanála and to reform the planning process to ensure that bogus objectors are not allowed to submit. We have a Bill at the moment, which I urge the Minister of State to prioritise and support, whereby only those with a material interest in a planning application can make an objection.”
“I want to make it very clear and to put it on the record of the Dáil that seaweed is fundamentally important for coastal areas in terms of flood management. We need a coastal management strategy. We need to ensure that we do not grant a licence that could potentially harvest up to 40,000 tonnes of seaweed from the coast of Galway and Mayo, which is what is proposed. I believe very few people in this House even realise that, such is the lack of information about these applications. I also want to raise the pace of the planning process for flood reliefs. I welcome the flood relief in Crossmolina, which will have a big impact on the town, but countless other towns still do not have a planning application even submitted - in Enniscorthy, Midleton and all those places.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on this very important issue. Flooding is affecting so many lives and property right across the country. In my county there is seaweed harvesting in the coastal areas and an application in to MARA, which is the maritime regulatory agency. Seaweed has a very important role to play in coastal erosion and helps the coastal areas maintain their foreshore, and this is causing huge concern. I have studied in detail this application that has been submitted to MARA and it is incredibly confusing. It appears that the application process and the pre-consultation aspects were complete over ten years ago, in 2014. Much of this application is built on some of the consultations that happened during this period.”
“It is important we do not catastrophise about this issue but this could potentially be the calm before the storm. I want to ensure we protect our farmers, that we have all the checks in place and that we ramp up checks in that region, in Munster and across Ireland as well.”
“This issue has presented to the Minister a problem that cannot be ignored. He must seek out other markets for these hides. As the Minister knows, the man who controls the offal and the man who controls the hide controls the kill. We cannot allow our farmers to be so exposed in relation to that. I urge the Minister to use this as an opportunity, along with his Department and officials, to develop further export markets for both hides and offal. I thank the Minister for the recent briefing with his officials and I look forward to working with him on this issue over the weeks and months ahead. The spring is coming and the summer is coming and temperatures will rise. When they do, there will be a significant and greater risk of bluetongue.”
“I also ask the Minister to look at the fact bluetongue can be spread via the semen of bulls and there are no additional checks around that. Farmers across Ireland who will be attending marts this week, next week and over the spring will be buying bulls and the Minister’s Department should be seriously looking at this. It should be putting in a scheme or checks for farmers selling bulls, so there would be some assistance to test those bulls. It should step up to the plate in this regard. This issue has also raised another question, which is about hides and the fact the vast majority of Irish hides are exported to China. Some 42,000 tonnes of hides were exported there last year. That represents significant exposure. We are entirely exposed because we are selling all our hides to one market.”
“It is good to be able to speak to the Minister about this issue. It is very concerning that bluetongue has arrived in Ireland. It is causing a huge amount of fear and concern to farmers. It is a good thing we have discovered the disease at this time of year as it provides us with an opportunity to try to get ahead of this issue. As the Minister knows, it is the midges that spread bluetongue and it is also subject to the temperature being higher than 12°C. This cold and wet winter has provided us with an opportunity and I urge the Minister to really get ahead of this issue. He should ensure the testing is happening not just in Wexford but right across Ireland, though particularly in the affected region. As the temperature rises, we should consider additional controls in the area to ensure it does not spread any further.”
“How can the climate action plan claim to deliver climate resilience and protect communities from flooding when solutions it commits to are underfunded? It is critically important that seaweed across the west coast is protected for coastal communities.”
“Climate Action Plan 2025 commits to scaling nature-based strategies, yet the Climate Change Advisory Council of Ireland has warned that we could face €26 billion in EU fines if we fail to deliver adequate protection measures. At the same time, and counter to the plan's commitment, the Government is actually considering licensing over 40,000 tonnes of seaweed to be harvested off the coast of counties Mayo and Galway. Removing seaweed, which is a vital natural buffer against flooding, will put communities at risk along with livelihoods, biodiversity and the coast itself. To make matters worse, Ireland still has no national coastal management strategy. This is overdue since 2021, with a draft sitting idle since 2023.”
“There are jobs at stake and businesses that rely on this service. Will the Taoiseach intervene and protect the An Post delivery service unit in Ballyhaunis?”
“Ballyhaunis is a fantastic town for commerce and trade. Despite the loss of banks and other services, it has remained a very strong town for employment. It is a wonderful town. There is a proposal, however, to move the An Post delivery service unit in Ballyhaunis. It is a fundamentally important resource for the community and local commerce. It allows businesses to trade and export their products. The liquidation of the Fastway company recently has increased the importance of the An Post delivery service unit in Ballyhaunis. I ask the Taoiseach to intervene to protect the delivery service unit in Ballyhaunis. This is a State agency that is owned by the State. This is a town that has seen the loss of services like banks and other financial institutions like the credit union going part-time in recent days.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. It is fundamental that families have certainty today. They need to know. We talk about forward planning and so on but in Mayo letters are coming from the Department and the NCSE and basically promising children a place in a special education school. Then the family goes to the school and is told it is oversubscribed. That is the type of planning I am talking about. The system is so disconnected. How do we have a scenario where the NCSE is delivering letters promising a special education place when there is no such place in Mayo for the child? That is the point I want to get across to the Minister of State. I must acknowledge the 2,500 teachers promised in the budget is very ambitious but I am asking the Minister of State for certainty and timelines for SNAs and special education teachers for St.”
“Anthony's and many other schools across Mayo are trying to accommodate children but they do not know what resources they will have. This is a priority. There must be an expected timeframe for delivery.”
“I thank the Minister of State. I asked this question because of the importance of schools and families being able to plan. However, in reality there are families who still do not know what school they can send their child to. They are right across Mayo. A special school in Mayo that does absolutely wonderful work is St. Anthony's School in Castlebar. The management team of Fiona Byrne, Anna Sweeney, Helena Brady as well as all the staff do amazing work but within the first hour of admissions opening for this calendar year the school was oversubscribed. Applicants exceeded the capacity of the school. That is leaving families and also the school in an incredibly difficult scenario. The Minister of State says this is going to happen in February and March but families are struggling and stressed today. St.”
“Yes, we need to protect the environment and we need to protect the ecosystem in our rivers, but families and their homes must be protected as well, and in that hierarchy of prioritisation I believe human beings have fallen off the cliff. I ask the Minister of State to listen to families and the people most affected and ensure that human beings and families are prioritised as well. In relation to the recent Labour Party proposal regarding situations where, for example, local authorities purchase equipment for flooding, etc., I ask that they be compensated. I am sorry to have gone over my time.”
“I welcome the work of the Minister of State, Deputy Boxer Moran, over recent weeks, and it is very clear that he is listening to the people in this time of crisis. I ask him to continue to listen to the people across this country. In Charlestown, in Mayo, there is a river that has almost burst its banks. These families are seeking for that river to be cleaned, etc., and it is so frustrating that still has not happened and we are almost a year after some homes and businesses being flooded. The people on the ground know best, and a clear prioritisation needs to be given to human beings, their families, their businesses and their homes in relation to this.”