Jim O'Callaghan

I thank Deputy Neville for raising that interesting point. It is clearly the case that there has been a decline in the number of companies listed in the number of companies listed on the Irish Stock Exchange since the end of the last century. The Deputy gave the statistics there. We cannot stop companies from making a decision that they no longer wish to be listed in Dublin if they have a preferen…

I thank Deputy Kerrane. Part of my function, in ensuring that we have adequate protection for women who are subject to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, is to ensure that there are adequate safe homes and refuges through the country. The Deputy will be aware of the progress of that by the Government. I will have a look in respect of Roscommon. I have to be careful. I do not want it to a…

I thank Deputy Smith. I agree it is essential that children get orthodontic care in a timely manner. There can be very upsetting consequences if they do not. I am aware the Minister for Health knows there currently are delays in accessing this service nationally, and the HSE has put in place a number of measures to address waiting times. There has been significant investment, as the Deputy will b…

I thank the Deputy. I am sorry I do not have a specific answer for him. I do not have the detail on the incidence of turbines in east Galway as opposed to other parts of the country. I will speak to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, in respect of it and will highlight the issue the Deputy has identified. We also need to recognise that we are trying to ensure that we have renewable energy in the count…

In fact, Deputy Ward raised this issue with me last week. I answered him by stating that it is on the priority list for publication. It is important legislation from the Government’s point of view. It is being worked upon. I am informed by the Chief Whip that it is not as simple as may be presented. I will certainly speak to the Minister, Deputy Browne, in respect of it. He appreciates the urgency…

I am aware of that roundabout. I was unaware, however, that it was being replaced with traffic lights. I do not have strong views on the preference for roundabouts or traffic lights, or which are preferable, but I suspect there are engineers in the local authority who have views on it. There must be some reason that they are seeking to replace the roundabout with traffic lights. I will raise the i…

In fairness to the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, my understanding is that she got the report last Thursday and it was published yesterday. It is a 1,200-page report. As the Deputy said, it sets out three options. I would have thought consideration needs to be given to the report before any decision is made in respect of the options. I am conscious that the Deputy has a particular view as to w…

I will speak to the Minister, Deputy Burke, about it because I do not have the level of detail that is required to give Deputy Currie a full answer. I note the issue is about the trading online voucher and the Grow Digital voucher. I will ask him to come back to the Deputy with an update in respect of that. I am conscious that online trading capacity is essential for SMEs in Ireland.

Deputy O’Dea deserves to be commended on the meeting that he and Deputy Cathal Crowe had with the then Minister, Mr. Donnelly, which resulted in there being a report. Obviously, Deputy O'Dea has read the report in detail. As I said previously, it is the case that the Minister only got the report last week and she published it yesterday. It is a detailed report. Notwithstanding the detail, Deputy O…

I agree with the Deputy that it is a worrying trend to see a growth in the incidence of TB. We thought in Ireland that we had eradicated TB, which, of course, had such an extraordinary social and health impact on people in Ireland prior to the 1950s or 1960s. I hear what the Deputy says in respect of the increase in numbers and I will speak to the Minister for Health about it. Obviously, we need t…

I also extend my condolences to the wider O'Connor family on the appalling tragedy that occurred. Obviously, an ongoing criminal investigation and prosecution has commenced. I can assure the Deputy that in an incident like this, a family liaison officer will be engaging with the close relatives of the O'Connors. It is a very difficult issue for An Garda Síochána and a traumatic event for the peopl…

I thank the Deputy for his question. It is opportune that he mentions this because this morning I had a meeting with American Chamber of Commerce Ireland where we discussed issues with the granting of work permits and subsequently visas. I agree it would be preferable if there was a single entry point where people could apply. When it comes to visas being issued by the Department of justice, it is…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an gceist. On behalf of myself and the Government parties, I would also like to wish Julie Lyons all the best in her retirement. I thank her for the excellent service she has provided to Members over 34 years. There is an expression in politics: "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." That certainly never applied to Julie. She served us loyally an…

They were part of a Government proposal that was sneered at by Sinn Féin at the time. Let us wait to see what the Ministers, Deputies Chambers and Donohoe, and the rest of the Government come up with. I assure the Deputy that the cost-of-living issue will be at the forefront of their consideration and Government consideration.

Every Government TD, and indeed every TD who is not in Sinn Féin, is aware of the pressures that people are under when it comes to the cost of living. The Deputy does not have a monopoly in terms of understanding that. We are fully aware of it. We have introduced measures in the past that the Deputy has acknowledged have ameliorated the cost-of-living pressures on people. She is acknowledging that…

-----families are at the centre of the budget package that will be introduced 13 days from now. The Deputy spoke about the cost of energy. She also has to be aware of the other measures that have been introduced by the Government to alleviate costs on families. For instance, if we look at the retrofitting that is going on, over €558 million has been allocated for residential and community energy s…

A lot has been done and the Deputy should not ignore it.

I should have pointed out when I was responding to Deputy McDonald that my understanding is that Deputy Barry Heneghan is on that flotilla as well. I extend my best wishes to him. I express my concern and the concern of the wider Government for his safety as well as that of Senator Andrews. Deputy Bacik is being unfair. It is inappropriate to compare the response of the Irish Government to climat…

The Deputy is ignoring the great work being done on securing renewable energy in this country. As of last February, 48% of Ireland's power was powered by onshore wind. They are facts the Deputy simply cannot ignore. The Deputy also talked about how we need to ensure there is no LNG plant. We have to provide people in this country with energy security.

It is absolutely essential we have a secure form of energy for them. The Deputy is aware of what is happening as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the consequence of that from a European perspective. We cannot continue to fund President Putin and Europe cannot continue to fund President Putin by purchasing his fossil oil. A huge amount is being done. Minister O'Brien takes it extrem…

I thank the Deputy for her question. Her statement that the Government is doing nothing is not in fact correct. The Minister of State who has responsibility for this area and who has been engaging with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, is Minister Dillon, and he met representatives of the CCPC in June and has asked it to conduct an analysis of the Irish grocery retail secto…

I should point out that in order for this to happen, the law in the country has to change. The law can be changed-----

The entity that changes the law is the Oireachtas. Government proposes laws and has the advantage of the majority in the Houses of the Oireachtas but there is nothing stopping Opposition parties from bringing forward legislation that they believe will change the law. Motions are-----

-----easy to bring forward and they get covered-----

------but the hard work is done when it comes to drafting legislation.