Brian Stanley

We have done all of that, though.

When we joined the EU Single Market back in 1972, there was supposed to be free trade, but also fair trade, between the states of Europe, and all treaties since underlined that. The Single Market was sold as a level playing pitch with standards harmonised. However, with substandard products coming in from outside, it is not harmonised. The Mercosur deal completely undermines it. Farmers are having…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion. It is a very important issue. I am glad the Minister for Health, as the senior Minister, is here to address this. We are having this conversation in the context of us being just days away from Christmas. This is one of the last sittings of the Dáil. Here we are, discussing a measure and what is up for consideration is a very small amount of money.…

The programme for Government states on page 68 that the Government will support the school building unit in the timely delivery of school building projects. Coláiste Íosagáin in Portarlington has been waiting for a decade and a half. Portarlington is the second-biggest town in County Laois and the school is full to capacity. It has a catchment area taking in Killenard, Lea, Emo, Ballybrittas and C…

The fact that the Government is still breaking the law years after this matter was highlighted is absolutely scandalous. Referrals are supposed to be made in three months and assessments completed within six. The situation is getting worse, with the number waiting now over 18,000, as has been outlined here. In Laois–Offaly, the figures are ballooning. What is happening is an absolute scandal. The…

4. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if he will consider granting funding to homecoming festivals in various locations in the country in the interest of promoting tourism and increasing investment in rural areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67914/25]

Will the Minister consider granting funding to homecoming festivals in various locations in the country to promote tourism and increase investment, particularly in rural areas? What is his opinion on this? What supports can be provided?

What the Minister said in the last couple of sentences, in relation to finalising plans for 2026, is timely. This is a great way of improving tourism and visitor numbers. As we all know, tourism figures are down this year and there are various reasons for that. Some of it is due to high prices being charged by some hotels and over-pricing, and the industry has to take that on board. The first home…

I thank the Minister for his reply. I acknowledge the support given to the Old Fort Quarter festival and other projects in County Laois through the LEADER fund and I accept that. The key thing is that sometimes the information on what is available and where it can be accessed is unclear. I know some bureaucracy is necessary and it is important that money be accounted for properly and that things b…

I am raising the issue of bus drivers over the age of 70 for the school bus scheme with the Tánaiste. When I raised it with him in the first week of February, I pointed out that as it is a part-time job, most of the drivers are retired from their full-time careers and are between 60 and 70 years of age. People over the age of 70 can drive 50- and 60-seater private coaches for long distances, but t…

The Tánaiste, therefore, became popular with 69-year-old bus drivers in Laois. The Tánaiste said at that time that this is quite a farcical and bizarre situation. I have been back and forth with the Minister since and I have raised it a number of times in the Chamber. This is something that we can do, and there is a problem already with drivers. There is a shortage of school bus drivers because it…

The Government runs the show.

I thank the Minister of State and am happy she is here as a resident of Laois. I know she is just inside the border, but she is still in Laois. I raised this back in April 2022. On Holy Thursday of that year, I became aware from a source that there were plans to close Erkina House in Rathdowney. Erkina House at that time had 12 residents and €120,000 had just been spent re-roofing part of the buil…

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. As of yesterday, my information is it was down to two residents. We have known for three years that the building will not meet standards. The HSE, the Government and the Department know it. In the meantime, HSE management was clear it needed four centres and the ideal size of those centres was to cater for between ten and 15 people because that provides…

The cost of energy is putting huge pressure on households, with 300,000 households now in arrears with electricity bills. I was listening to Deputy Barry Ward complaining about the energy companies putting up the wholesale price - of course, they are doing it - and he wondered why electricity is getting so dear. Well, 25 years ago, it was 96% publicly owned. We had one of the cheapest electricity …

That needs to change and I would ask the Minister of State to bring that back to the senior Minister.

We need a housing plan that is going to work. Rents are up sky high and will get higher in March. House prices are up sky high. Evictions are up sky high. There were 15,000 notices to quit and eviction notices in the first nine months of the year. We need a plan that will work. The Department has set out that County Laois has to increase its population by 35% between now and 2030. I see the Minist…

Yesterday, we had the publication of the National Development Plan Review 2025 - Securing Ireland’s Future Sectoral Investment Plan: Transport. A number of bypasses are needed in County Laois but it looks like the whole county was bypassed for funding. The Tánaiste was down there this week last year, exactly 52 weeks ago, canvassing for the general election. Huge housing developments are needed in…

There were big promises made.

I thank the Tánaiste. There is no point in the Department of local government, under the Minister, Deputy James Browne, publishing lists like this and projecting huge growth for a county unless the infrastructure goes in along with it. I did not mention the need for health centres, schools - the courthouse in Portlaoise as well, by the way - and many other things, such as flood relief schemes, tha…

On a point of order, where are the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Browne, and the Minister for the environment, Deputy O’Brien? Neither of them is in the Chamber. That is no disrespect to the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, who is here and is fielding a lot of issues. It is disrespectful to the Chamber that neither Minister is here for an issue as important as this, b…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time". The absence of guidelines or regulations for wind turbines is absolutely scandalous. We have been relying on outdated guidelines from 2006 for over a decade and a half. The Bill is about putting a proper planning framework in place. It is not about stopping the utilisation of wind but having wind turbines in the right place and at the right scal…

I thank everybody for their contributions. I have listened very carefully to what people have had to say. The debate has been constructive but we need to move from discussion and debate to action. I will be pressing the Bill because I think we have kicked to touch too many times on this already. The Minister of State mentioned that significant progress has been made; it has not. She mentioned that…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. The cost of private health insurance puts a huge burden on people. In particular, it puts a huge burden on pensioners, who feel they have no choice. People feel compelled to take up private health insurance because of the delays and inefficiencies in our public system. Some progress has been made in some areas. Some of the screening projects …

88. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Health to request the management of the HSE to utilise the existing hospital building at St. Vincent's, Mountmellick, when the new wing opens, which would increase the bed capacity in the facility; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [64160/25]