Paul Lawless

-----and beautiful scents and smells. It is absolutely wrong. We need cross-party support. We need to address this.

There are children who are walking the streets and teenagers purchasing vapes and HHC.

It is a major issue and I hope the Tánaiste will address it and we will bring legislation-----

-----to ensure this is provided for.

I welcome the motion and thank my colleagues in Independent Ireland for bringing it forward, which we in Aontú are delighted to support. I am happy to hear that the Government will not be opposing it. Every day in Ireland, carers, both paid and unpaid, provide tremendous service to their families, their communities and the State. The value they provide, both socially and economically, is significa…

I raise with the Taoiseach a reply to a parliamentary question I received from the Minister for Health. In the last year and a half, since January 2024, just five paramedics and 12 emergency medical technicians, EMTs, have been hired by the National Ambulance Service. This is despite the fact that a recent report states that there are 1,000 staff shortages. There is a major crisis in the National …

There have been no paramedics hired this year.

Front-line paramedics and EMTs.

Front-line paramedics and EMTs. The numbers are there in the reply to the parliamentary question. I can give them to the Taoiseach.

12. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on Justice, Migration and Social Affairs will meet next. [25743/25]

The cost of accommodating asylum seekers has ballooned in recent years. It is now ten times the figure in 2019. It cost the State €1.2 billion this year. This is an extortionate cost to the taxpayer. Essentially, the State is paying hotel or accommodation owners a hotel occupancy rate. It has cost the State €4 billion since 2019. The average cost of renting a three-bedroom house is €20,000, yet th…

I welcome these statements. Aontú will be supporting the Opposition's motion later this evening. I met Cara Darmody today. What struck me most was how young she is. As I looked at her chocolate, her buns and her homework, it struck me just how young she is, yet she is forced into this campaign which is three years in the making. I commend Cara. I also commend the thousands of families and parents …

First Choice Credit Union has announced reduced opening hours at several credit unions across Mayo, namely those in Achill, Balla, Ballyhaunis, Swinford and Kiltimagh. This is the latest onslaught and the latest decline. Ballyhaunis and Kiltimagh, for example, recently lost two of their banks. The credit union is the last banking institution left in these towns. These were once thriving towns and …

I welcome the Minister and wish him all the best in the years ahead. I also welcome the IFA president, Mr Francie Gorman, who is here. There are so many issues we could talk about, from GAEC 2 and the major concerns farmers have about it, to the ACRES scheme and the lack of payments, forestry issues, the Mercosur deal, and the TB issue my colleague referenced. There are major concerns with the E…

A pint in a pub is a healthier pint. There is a social dimension and, crucially, there is a referee. Government policy over recent years has hurt rural pubs. An average of 150 pubs close every year. Over the last 20 years, 2,000 pubs have closed. I raise the issue of excise duty and various different taxes. A third of the cost of a pint goes on excise duty. It is the second highest in Europe and i…

Will the Taoiseach engage with the VFI on the excise-----

Will the Taoiseach engage with the VFI?

I will start by wishing the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin, and the Minister, Deputy James Lawless, the best of luck for the years ahead. I am of the view that apprentices have been treated like second-class citizens in comparison with their counterparts in the university system. I spoke to a builder the other day who told me he could hire 20 lads tomorrow morning if he could find them. That is…

We are going to do the same thing again. That is why the teachers are balloting. I ask the Minister and the Minister of State to engage with the unions in a respectful way that will bring about reform that will be tolerable for teachers and students alike.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion. I only have three and a half minutes and there are so many issues. My first point is that there are major delays with An Bord Pleanála. I know people in my constituency who have been years in the planning system. It took them months to get the planning and then more than a year waiting for a decision on an appeal to An Bord Pleanála. I appreciate t…

When it comes to IPAS developments, the Government is treating people like mushrooms by keeping them in the dark and feeding them dung. That is what is happening right across this country. It has allowed a vacuum of information to develop whereby it is another day, another rumour. I refer to the Belmont Hotel, St. Mary's Secondary School in Ballina and, most recently, Belmullet. I got a call the o…

Is it the case that the works are continuing for another application to be submitted? What are the Government's plans for an IPAS centre in Belmullet? It is totally wrong. The Government's policy at the moment is that people will find out when the scaffolding is erected or when people move in. This is unacceptable. It is no way to treat the people of this country.

What of the circumvention?

I welcome the proposal which has been a positive introduction for many businesses in the hospitality sector. However, like the previous Deputy, I would like to raise issues around local authorities rating outdoor seating. It is very unfair on businesses, particularly in the hospitality sector, which have been hammered in recent years. The increased cost of doing business has resulted in margins ti…

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