Richard O'Donoghue
Limerick County · Independent Ireland · Ireland
“The crucial point is that the HSE environmental health service examined the matter, visited the community and requested a public health investigation into the complaints. The public health section denied it. One part of the health service was looking for an investigation but the Department's public health section denied it.”
“I have a copy of that investigation. The Tánaiste and I met CEPA a number of years ago and we discussed these complaints. The Taoiseach is on the record 13 years ago saying that there are health implications to wind farms. There is something that I want the Tánaiste and all other Members sitting around the House today to do.”
“I thank the Tánaiste. The issue here is the inconsistency. In the Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown area, all noise complaints received by the local authority are investigated by the HSE.”
“Today, I am raising the issue of wind farms and their health implications. A number of weeks ago, I was copied into a serious letter from the Communities and Environmental Protection Alliance, CEPA, to the Minister of Health. I am informed that there has been no response, not even an acknowledgement.”
“I would also like to have the Minister for Health there to meet these people and to see if we can relieve concerns and meet young people and their families' entitlement to a night's sleep. This cannot go on for more years. We have been talking about this for years. We must think of the health implications and how we can help.”
“It has been proven without doubt that there are health implications to wind turbines in certain areas. I am not against wind turbines in areas where they do not have health implications, but this one does. So, when the Tánaiste is giving his reply, I want him to think of the children and families this is affecting.”
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“It is a start, but there is a lot more that can be done. I can help. I do not have to be here all the time criticising from across the floor of the House. I can help, but I want to make sure the Minister goes in there and looks for accountability. If somebody cannot deliver in his or her job, she has to move him or her out of that position. I believe the biggest problem in UHL was when the hospital became a centre of excellence. It did not allow for a population increase. I refer to the management system there. If a nurse was under pressure and a senior nurse or senior management came around, what they were doing in Limerick was finding fault but what they should have been doing was pulling up their sleeves and saying they would help the nurse and fix the fault the next day by addressing the situation.”
“I wish the Minister and the Ministers of State very well in their new roles. On my first day in the Dáil, the first thing I spoke about was the health system in Limerick. The Ceann Comhairle at the time was Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl. I am asking for the Minister's and the Ministers of State's help in Limerick but I am asking for them to use a different approach. I am asking for a breath of fresh air. I am asking them to turn up in Limerick uninvited rather than invited. The Minister's predecessor turned up two or three times in Limerick and I knew about it. He said people had not been notified but they were. I was told by the staff that he was coming. To help the Minister fix the problem, I will help her. I will do whatever I can to help the Minister fix the problem in UHL. We have made a start with a change of management.”
“For Irish people or those of other nationalities who live here, it is not acceptable. We need to send that clear message out. We watched the Olympic Games recently - and this is where the Government needs to stand up - and saw people who identify as women competing. I have no problem with a person identifying as a woman. I do not have a problem because I respect people. I see two genders, but I respect whatever people are; that is fine. I do, however, have a problem when I see a person who identifies as a woman going into a boxing ring and competing against a woman in circumstances where this is accepted globally. The Government needs to send out a clear message to everyone that violence against women is not acceptable Violence against men is not acceptable. Violence against children is not acceptable.”
“I congratulate the Leas-Cheann Comhairle on his appointment and wish the Minister of State the best of luck in his position. I welcome the people in the Gallery. For people fleeing from domestic violence, services like ADAPT in Limerick are not enough. People in the rural parts of Limerick have to travel to the city to get refuge. This is taking people from where they may have supports locally. We need more places like ADAPT in others areas to help people who are in this situation. I have a big issue with social media. If we look at social media and at all the different cultures that are shown on it, we can see that it shows that it is acceptable in some cultures for men to hit women. This is being shown on social media even here in Ireland. We have to send out a clear message that this is not acceptable.”
“All I can guarantee is that the Government will take excess taxes from everyone even though it cannot deliver. I ask the Minister of State to stand up and make them accountable; if they cannot deliver move them and the Government should subsidise the people who are waiting for tests.”
“There is no accountability for the failure of the RSA to deliver driving tests on time, yet we have people all over Ireland trying to get to work or college, and there is no transport because of someone's failure. The same people are failing all the time and there is no accountability. They keep their jobs. How can the Government create anything to go forward if it cannot even correct the problems of the past? Accountability is what it comes down to. They are not only letting us down; they are letting the Government down. When will the fist come down and say: "We want you to deliver. If you cannot deliver, get out of the position you are in"? I have said this more than once today, there is no accountability for anyone who cannot deliver.”
“This is taxpayer's money. Now have a delay of up to six months in places for young people to get their driving test. We have people who are following the rules that were legislated for. They do their theory test, get their 12 lessons and then they have to wait six months to get on the road. That comes back to being the Government's problem. The Government should be responsible for the six-month delay for a driving test. That means there has to be accountability. Let us look at fuel prices at the moment, which it is said, will soar up to €2 per litre shortly. The Government is taking €1 per litre of that but there is no accountability for the tax the Government takes.”
“I want the Minister and the Minister of State to run the Department like a business. If someone cannot deliver for the Department, which means they cannot deliver for the Government or the people of Ireland, they should move over and let somebody in who is ambitious enough to take it on and deliver for the Government, for everyone in this House and for everyone with a disability who needs work done for them. That is what I am asking. I am going to take a different approach to the Government on this occasion. I will give whatever help I can to assist it, but I want to make sure that those in government ensure that the people who are supposed to be delivering for the State do so. If they do not, then they should get out and we should make sure that someone who can deliver for the vulnerable replaces them.”
“In the workplace, there must be equal opportunities. We can see by the Government contracts being given out, that it is all only going to one sector. What I want to see from the Minister - and I do wish her well in her position - is accountability across the board. If someone cannot do the job, they should move over and let somebody else deliver the services. We could go on here forever about this matter. If people look back on the record of the Dáil or at television recordings, they will come across statements that were made five, ten and 15 years ago. In those statements, people made all the same promises but there has been no change. Also, people in various positions have not been made accountable for failing to deliver services. This is where I am coming from.”
“I take this opportunity to wish the Ceann Comhairle the very best in her new role. My comments today are on accountability for the delivery of services. At the end of the day, the Government will be accountable but I am asking now for it to make changes within Departments so that people who do not deliver for people with disabilities in their Departments are made accountable. In other words they must make their Departments better and ensure that if somebody does not do the work we are asking them to do and that the Government itself wants to have done, there is accountability. If a person cannot do the job, out they go and somebody else new is brought into the Department to do it. When it comes to changing legislation to allow people to work in schools, there must be equal opportunities for people with disabilities.”
“If we are to allow something to be placed behind the house, we must also allow building on a site that is capable of taking a second house. In a city, you can build 20 houses on half an acre but in the county you are only allowed one. We have to make sure that the next generation, both in urban and rural areas, are allowed to build for the future.”
“They are saving hard but, when they try to build a house or get planning permission for one, it is pushed away from them as a result of cost inflation. Every week, I get a letter telling me that the price of concrete products or anything oil-based has gone up another 10%. Over the last two years, there have been 11 increases in the cost of building materials across the board. The people who are living at home have no choice because they cannot afford a house. They now need something they can place within the area of their own house. I do not have a problem with that but people in the countryside should also be allowed to build on a half-acre site to allow their parents to step to one side and have their own private unit. This would allow the next generation to go into the parents' house but the laws do not allow for it.”
“I wish the Ministers well in their new positions. I have been in construction all of my life. Part of the Government's plan is now to allow buildings at the back of other properties. I do not have an issue with that once they are proper buildings that can be built. What I do have an issue with are the planning guidelines as they apply in County Limerick. For a number of years, we have been told that we cannot built to the back, side or front of any place because there is no infrastructure to allow for it. People now have their children, their children's partners or wives or their grandchildren living with them. We now have ten living in my own house. I am in the construction business so you would imagine that I could help with the cost of building but, when they try to save for a mortgage, it is shoved another step away from them.”
“Anyone who has a heart knows that is what has to be done. I have seen children go through years of school while waiting for assessments because the family does not have €1,700 to go and get an assessment. Money fixes everything. People can wait years if they go through the system. That discriminates against anyone seeking to have the same education as everyone else, as is their right. That is where the problem lies. We need to make sure the resources are given out equally.”
“Someone living in Dublin 4 can have special needs and someone living in Limerick can also have special needs. Why would this be part of a model for deciding where to get people to help with special needs? This discriminates against all rural schools. It discriminates against the most vulnerable people in this country whom we are trying to help. I am a father and grandfather. If we can do anything to help our children, grandchildren or anyone in our area, we will do it. If these decisions are based on address, we are never going to get the proper funding put in place to help people with special needs. We will not get the resources or teachers because of the way these standards are done. The decision should be based on facts and the number of pupils in the school who need help, whether the school is large or small.”
“I congratulate the Minister and the Minister of State on their roles and I look forward to working with them, but we are here again and it is no different than last year or the year before. We now have new people in charge of the Department but we are still looking for resources for special needs. The term "special needs" says it all. There is no doubt that gender and complex needs have been removed from the factors that set out allocations. There is a new modelling for the assessment. Twenty-five percent of the assessment for special needs relates to enrolment while 68.5% is based on test scores from pupils in second, fourth and six class. The one that really beats me is that 6.5% is based on educational disadvantage and the address of pupils. Special needs can arise anywhere no matter what the address.”
“If there is no value for money from Uisce Éireann, I want it audited. We will then need to look at other international companies that are able to deliver projects of the same size for less money. Value for money will make sure the money the Government has in its purse can deliver twice the amount of infrastructure if it is done properly.”
“When I look down through the mapping Uisce Éireann showed us today, it was looking at taking water from the Shannon and bringing it to Dublin because 40% of the sewerage capacity for the population of Ireland is in Dublin. This will suck the life out of rural Ireland because there has never been any delivery in the sewerage or water systems in rural counties. Governments have never increased capacity to allow for growth in towns and villages around Ireland, which can be come self-sustainable. That was a mistake that was made and this is what needs to be invested in now. I am asking the Minister and Minister of State for help and to listen to people with experience. I will help them if they want me to help them. Where mistakes are being made, I will help them to rectify them.”
“Common sense will tell you that the infrastructure is not there. Every time there is a change of Government, there is a change of policy. If I wanted to put a business proposal to the Ministers, I would have a five-year plan. I presume Uisce Éireann is doing the same. Then there is a change of Government and it goes in a different direction, and the five-year plan that was started up goes out the window. It cannot do business like that. What the Government needs to do is look at the five-year plan of the previous Government and see how it can add to that rather than going in a different direction. That is how you get value for money. If you are halfway into something and you have to change direction, you then incur costs.”
“I wish both the Minister and Minister of State well in their positions. I look forward to working with them. As my colleagues have said, infrastructure is the main issue. I went across the road today to Buswells Hotel to meet Uisce Éireann. I am probably one of Uisce Éireann's biggest critics. I have been in business all my life. I like value for money and I do not believe that company is value for money. The Taoiseach did not want to go into Government with us, and that is fine. The Government still has the experience of people who know where there is value for money, and we can help. There have been mistakes made in the past. The Government's projection this year is that it wants to deliver 60,000 houses. Its projection last year was that it wanted to deliver 40,000 homes, and it delivered just under 30,000.”
“The planning laws need to change so that if a site in a county is big enough, a person who wants to downsize and let the next generation of their own family move in will be allowed to build a smaller house on the same site. That is not allowed under the planning laws. It is why we have houses being put up everywhere. When Ukrainians came here a lot of investment was made in modular housing. The money was given to an agency to provide these modular houses. The figures on Government spending show these modular houses cost twice the price of dealing directly with the modular house companies. The money went through an agency that made a 100% profit on modular houses. This is wrong. There should be accountability. Let the money go further and get value for the money we have and invest in infrastructure in the country, not just in one place.”
“They stop investment in our villages, where businesses can be sustainable if they get the proper infrastructure, including sewerage and water to start with. This is what is needed in this country to deliver houses. We all know the Government made promises to exceed the housing targets. It did not do it. Now it wants agencies to get more powers so it can build houses. Again, it comes back to the basics. Where does it want to build the houses? Is it forgetting about the rest of the people in Ireland who are also entitled to have a place to live? No matter where you are from in Ireland, you should be entitled to have a place to live.”
“The local councillors need to get back the powers to make decisions for the entire county, which includes the cities, so that we build together. When he was Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien came to Limerick and travelled around the county announcing houses here and there that were being finished. On every site I went to with him and other representatives, I asked him to ask the people who were there, including the developers and builders, how much more capacity was left on the sewerage and water systems. Every one of them came back and said zero. How do we build houses for Ireland? We invest in infrastructure for the country. Everyone should be entitled to live where they want in the city or the county. Our planning laws have stripped away intervention from councillors and they stop people living in the county.”
“As someone who has been in construction all my life, I have spent the past five years in the House telling people they cannot build houses without infrastructure. We cannot build houses without having water, sewerage, electricity and an Internet service. The LDA has not built one house in Limerick. It publicly stated it would not invest 15 minutes outside any city. That takes out two thirds of Limerick county. This is what the LDA has set out to do. I was a councillor on Limerick City and County Council. A lot of the things we did and the powers we had were stripped away from us. We are the people on the front line trying to deliver for our communities. We have first-hand information on what is needed in the area that elects us. This is what is being stripped away.”
“I am not against wildlife but I am in favour of people - and front-line staff across the board - having a safe passage to work, school and hospital. I am also very disappointed with the Government that a red warning was not issued when we had the snowfall. Even though there was 3 ft. of snow, people were told that if they did not turn up for work they would have to take a day's holiday or lose their wages. That is what we are up against. If we learn anything, it is that all these hedgerows need to be cut to make sure we have not got the same problems again.”
“Heavy goods vehicles have to drive in the middle of the road because of regulations brought in by the Government, which have caused a catastrophe after a storm. If anything comes out of this, it should be that the Government would put a fund together to cut all roadways 1 m in from the road edge and 3 m below any power line. The ESB guidelines say that there cannot be anything within 3 m to 4 m of high power lines because of the possible effects on connectivity in bad weather. However, the Government says that trees can go straight through the power lines, and when there is a storm that causes outages everywhere. The Government must set up a task force and ensure that every hedgerow is cut for the protection of human life.”
“Now we have a storm that shows the Government the statistics across the country. Trees were the main problem that caused power outages. The Government brought in the regulation. People are still without power. People came in to help move livestock. Businesses had to let off their employees because they had no power, yet the ESB believes that people themselves are responsible for it. It is the Government that is responsible for it because of regulations it brought in on tree felling and hedge cutting. When a local authority comes out to resurface a road, it is only allowed to cut in 1 m from the road edge and to go only 2.4 m high. On a 4 m or 5 m hedgerow, that means we allow the hedge to grow into the middle of the road, which stops people getting a safe passage to work. It also stops people from walking the roads.”
“A lot of the damage that was done in this storm was due to all the regulations that were put in place and, consequently, caused by the Government. We cannot cut trees. We cannot cut hedgerows. The Government has put a lot of red tape on Departments and local authorities must enforce it. That has caused an awful lot of damage. It resulted in power lines coming down all around this country, which put businesses out of business, left staff at home, and resulted in there being no food on the table and no heating in houses. That was all because of a regulation that started as Government policy. We had people telling the Government for the past three years about the dangers associated with ash dieback and how it would affect this country but the Government ignored it.”
“I went out with a crew to lift the roof of a stand in Kilmallock off a person's house. We had to assist there. It was the people in the communities who went out to help. The Government left them high and dry. From the point of view of social media and the Government, they were left high and dry. Local communities and the likes of the Civil Defence, the Red Cross, search and rescue teams and An Garda went out to help but they were missing the funding needed to ensure they could save lives. That is a disappointment but we can learn from this. People provided generators and heating for homes. They opened up their businesses, got them running and brought locals in from around the area, gave them soup and sandwiches and kept them warm in a warm place because they had no heating in their own houses.”
“There would have been more deaths if it were not for the efforts of the local people, backed up by the county council, gardaí who had to borrow a Jeep from another county in order to assist, the search and rescue services, the Civil Defence and the Red Cross. The Red Cross had to borrow vehicles from other counties to provide meals for people. It showed the lack of resources these people have. Can one imagine that the gardaí had to borrow a Jeep from another area to come out and do a search and rescue? Can one imagine that? Farmers and other people who had access to tractors, Jeeps, quads, and whatever they could come up with went out and helped the people. The Government is subsidising places but it is not subsidising enough. After the damage done by the snow, we then had the storm which actually wrecked places.”
“We are talking about the storm but in Limerick we had two storms. First we had the storm that led to snowfall. Met Éireann did not put out a red weather warning for Munster for that storm. We had up to three feet of snow in an area stretching from Kerry all the way back down to Limerick, as well as in other parts of Munster. There was no red warning for that storm. The following week, Met Éireann was able to put up a freezing fog warning in Dublin but we had no red warning for Munster. There were people trapped in their houses for three, four or five days. There was no power or heating in their houses and they could not light a fire because there are no chimneys in these houses as a result of the new planning regulations. In our community, we had the tragic death of Joe Noonan, God rest his soul.”
“Let us look at the carbon tax, which was a red line issue for us, and at the transport network across this country. Again, there has been a failure. A lot of infrastructure in this area needs fuel. We do not have the infrastructure in place yet.”
“Ireland should be looked at in that way. The Ministers Deputy Martin will appoint should reflect that and come from around the country rather than the Cabinet being Dublin-based. A team effort is the answer to addressing infrastructure and representation for all counties. On the 9% VAT rate that we and many others on the Opposition benches looked for, the Government has said that it will adopt this measure but it still has not fulfilled that. Businesses that employ people are closing as we are here today. Hospitality businesses and small SMEs are failing to remain open. The Government gave grants for new businesses, which only last for two years before stopping, but it has not looked after the existing businesses and helped to keep them going.”
“I wish Deputy Martin and his family well on his nomination as Taoiseach. As the general secretary and deputy leader of Independent Ireland, I believe it is now time for people to lead. When Deputy Martin is appointing people to ministerial positions, I remind him of the one thing I have always said to him, which is that they should be spread out throughout the country to represent Ireland as a whole. A lot of the Ministries should be taken out of Dublin so they can reflect areas around the country where infrastructure is badly needed. A Dublin-based Cabinet has not worked. On health and infrastructure, we have seen failure. We have also seen failure in the number of houses delivered because of the lack of infrastructure. If there were any sports games on today, all the field positions would be covered.”
“A Cheann Comhairle, there is a massive conflict of interest here. I have done a submission on the conflict of interest for Independent Ireland. The Regional Independents nominated you as Ceann Comhairle. If this was any court in the land, a judge would not be allowed to preside over a family case.”