Alan Kelly

Just bypass vetting.

Just bypass vetting.

I offer the Minister of State my best wishes. I specifically ask him to do one thing. Will he ask the RSA if it assesses the pass-fail rates in test centres and of testers? I am talking about an issue that is raised in my office all the time, including last week and the week before - 30 or 40 times - whereby one tester has a massive fail rate. How is that possible? I have tried to raise the matter…

I wish the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, who I know has a very special interest in this area, well. I also wish the Minister, Deputy McEntee, well. In the very short amount of time available to me, I want to make just a few points. When I started off in politics, approximately 20 years ago, the number of people who came to me about this issue was minuscule. Now in my clinics, I must deal wi…

Before I commence, I wish to formally wish the Minister the very best of luck.

I have already done so informally. He is very capable and very knowledgeable on his subject matter. I look forward to working with him, as does the Labour Party, across a wide range of issues. This is probably the least contentious issue related to the Department that we will discuss in the Chamber. I hope that, starting afresh, the Department will be far more transparent and open and that the Min…

In reply to a recent parliamentary question, the Minister for Health told me, regarding the HIQA review of the creation of a model 3 hospital in the mid-west, that the decision would be made this May. I cannot comprehend why we need HIQA to do this review. It is as clear as the nose on my face we need another model 3 hospital with an accident and emergency department in the mid-west. There is a re…

I will start by wishing our usher, Mr. Tony Maher, the very best for the future in his retirement. I thank him for his courtesy to all of us in the House and in the Labour Party down through the years. I also thank him for his constant help and guidance throughout those years. We wish him the best in his retirement. The real work now starts with the grandchildren. He will be wishing he could come …

Hear, hear.

Well done.

A Cheann Comhairle, on a point of order.

A Cheann Comhairle, you read into the record earlier details relating to your decision.

We need to know when your decision is going to be made.

We need to know, because the Business Committee cannot even function and set up what is meant to be happening here in two weeks' time without that decision.

You also said in your letter you got two sets of advice. Which advice takes precedence? Was it the advice you got from the Clerk or the advice from parliamentary legal adviser? When it comes to the functioning of this Dáil, this is a huge decision. We were looking at other parliaments across the Irish Sea two years ago and laughing at the way in which they conducted their business. Let us make su…