Carol Nolan

I thank the Tánaiste for his response and the co-operation, which we need urgently. While there is legislation in place, farmers and gardaí are telling me that it is insufficient because it is not giving them enough power. That is where we need to toughen those laws, which I know the Tánaiste is happy to do. He acknowledged that and it is certainly welcome. However, there is another issue where t…

The long waiting times being experienced by people waiting to see someone in the pain management clinic in the Mater hospital in Dublin are very concerning. I am dealing with quite a number of people currently who are waiting for an appointment. They informed me that it will be about ten or 12 months before they are seen at the Mater hospital. This is impacting on their health, well-being and qual…

I welcome the Bill because there is an urgent need for the Government to prioritise the enactment of legislation aimed at setting out a registration framework for providers of home support services. I want to reference in particular those sections of the Bill under which the chief inspector of social services at HIQA will have responsibility for establishing and maintaining a register for home sup…

The motion this morning from Independent Ireland raises valid concerns about Ireland's water and wastewater infrastructure, reflecting ongoing challenges in a system that has historically suffered from underinvestment and ageing assets. Certainly, it is the case that persistent delays block housing, public health, economy and compliance, as the motion notes. I acknowledge also that the proposed me…

I have continually opposed the Mercosur agreement. I should call it a deal because it should not be an agreement. I want to ask who the Government serves. Does it serve its EU masters and try to be the best boys and girls in the class out there or does it serve Irish farmers, who have worked so hard and tirelessly to contribute to our economy? Whose interests does the Government serve? I am so con…

Page 67 in the programme for Government makes reference to the Government's commitment to investing in school buildings and certainly that is welcome. However, there are serious issues in my own constituency of County Offaly. We have a fantastic school, St. Brendan's Community School, in Birr which was approved for works back in 2018. Those works entailed an ASD classroom, an extension and other …

203. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the steps he is taking to address concerns relating to student accommodation and affordability; if he is aware that these concerns are driving regional disparities and increasing commuting burdens and costs for rural students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67669/25]

My question relates to the ongoing shortage of student accommodation across the country. Every year, the problem gets worse. In my constituency, I am contacted by huge numbers of students who cannot source accommodation in Galway, Dublin or Limerick. Unfortunately, the evidence available to us each September demonstrates that the situation is deteriorating rather than improving. What measures will…

I thank the Minister for his response. While I certainly acknowledge that there have been some incentives, supports and improvements, the SUSI grant has unfortunately not been adjusted in line with the cost of living or the costs of student accommodation. We have seen over the past five years how rents in urban centres and many regional towns have risen at rates far exceeding inflation or wage gro…

I acknowledge that there have been some improvements but again, it is just not enough. We need to be, as I said, far more ambitious and deliver more student accommodation. I want to point out that my concerns relate to the fact that when a young person from a rural background concludes that third level education is financially or logistically unfeasible, the loss extends far beyond the individual.…

For many people, the energy price crisis reflects a Government paralysed by inertia that is only now slowly turning away from the madness of the Green Party era when the tail wagged the dog and energy independence in the form of LNG or oil and gas exploration was considered almost a heresy. I acknowledge that things are turning in the right direction and the storage facility will now proceed but t…

I am deeply concerned by certain proposals in the national housing plan. Although it has been described by the Government as unprecedented in terms of investment, it comes at a time when homeless figures have hit a record high of 16,350 people. Within that number is a total of 5,145 children who are estimated to be living in emergency accommodation. The fact is we have been here before on a number…

Tá áthas orm an deis seo a fháil labhairt ar an topaic seo agus ar an méid atá ag baint leis an gcogadh cathartha i Sudan. What is happening in Sudan is hell on earth. Last year, Aid to the Church in Need released its report on Christian persecution around the globe. Sudan is an area plagued by this issue. I will quote extensively from that report as it specifically deals with some of the despera…

I commend Deputy Stanley on bringing forward this very important Bill and for all the work that went into it. It is imperative that we get action and that there is real and true balance for communities. Currently there are no protections for any communities throughout my own county of Offaly or the neighbouring County Laois. It is very unfair. Communities have no say whatsoever and these monstrosi…

As the Tánaiste will be aware, the midlands and County Offaly, in particular, are the areas most impacted by the just transition. The loss of Bord na Móna created a significant ripple effect in communities right across the county. Most recently, we have been hard again with the planned closures of Cardinal Health followed by Fastway Couriers in Portarlington only a few short weeks ago. There is an…

I thank the Tánaiste for his response and, indeed, his commitment to look further at this. I believe we need to look at it urgently because, as I said, of the unexpected job losses that we have suffered in the county on top of bearing the brunt of the job losses in the midlands - County Offaly bears that brunt. We need to act, urgently and swiftly, and we need to support the local community groups…

I am delighted to speak on these statements. I spoke on the haulage sector and its challenges recently at its conference in Galway. I am delighted to speak again in the Chamber to relay the difficulties and issues presented to me at that conference in September. The haulage sector contributes €3.7 billion per annum to our economy. It creates thousands of jobs in rural Ireland where there are virt…

Whatever way you slice it, this Mercosur madness is a disastrous deal for Ireland and I remain strongly opposed to it. If it is pushed through and ratified by a qualified majority, then the EU Commission will have very clearly signalled its contempt not just for the sovereignty of this Parliament but for the livelihoods of the farmers that it will destroy. Far from being our ally and our friend, t…

Our immigration law explicitly allows for deportation in cases of criminal convictions, particularly in relation to serious or violent convictions. This includes provisions such as those outlined in the Immigration Act 1999, as amended. Section 3 states that the Minister for justice may sign a deportation order against a person who has served or is serving a term of imprisonment imposed by an Iris…

Is it not high time that we stopped catering to their so-called rights-----

-----and instead began to radically and forcefully implement the laws that we have on our Statute Book?

I very much welcome this Bill, given the urgent need to take active steps towards financing and upgrading our creaking energy grid. If that requires amending an outdated series of rules around ESB borrowing, we should get on and do exactly that. Clearly there is a need here, if the existing laws and limits go back to the 1950s or the 2000s. The Bill deals with the current ESB fund of €13.4 billi…

I welcome this debate on an issue with which we are all very familiar, either as parents or as public representatives. Back-to-school costs are a major source of anxiety for parents every year, particularly when uniforms demanded by some schools are at the higher end of the cost scale. It was noted on First Stage that the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and Barnardos have indicated …

I am delighted to have this opportunity to speak on such an important issue. It is welcome that we are discussing this. I find it odd, and it is noticeable, how little we discuss men's health in this House. Maybe that is something we all need to work on to make sure we bring the issue more to the fore in the Chamber. It is an issue that needs attention. It is certainly one form of gender imbalance…

I am delighted to have an opportunity to speak here tonight on the tillage issue. I spoke to and engaged with the IFA on this matter on a number of occasions prior to the budget. Many of the concerns and challenges relate to the significant structural pressures and extended economic factors the sector faces, including increased importation of grains and elevated input costs. While we accept that p…