Peadar Tóibín

I also wish Senan Molony well and thank him for the important work he has done over the decades. Half a million families are in energy arrears. Nearly a third of the population cannot afford a staple of life, namely, energy. That is astounding in one of the richest countries in the world. The Government is one of the main drivers of fuel inflation. Over 50% of the price of a litre of petrol or die…

22. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach when the Cork city task force will be established. [50895/26]

23. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach for an update on the implementation of the Dublin city task force report. [50896/26]

Lonely Planet said recently that-----

Lonely Planet. It did a review of Dublin and stated, "Once Dublin’s grand boulevard, O'Connell St has struggled with decline". It stated that vacant buildings, derelict upper floors and long-stalled redevelopments leave this part looking neglected while retail has shifted elsewhere and been replaced by fast food shops that dilute its character. Moore Street, right beside it, was promised to be red…

Will the Government buy Moore Street-----

The Irish people are a generous and decent people and have been over the past number of years, with the provision of supports to people from Ukraine who are fleeing the war. This is right and just. The war unleashed on Ukraine is absolutely wrong. Aontú will support the reduction in the rate of payment under the scheme. The scheme that was created was uneven, unfair and discriminatory for those s…

It has rained for 77 days across Ireland so far this year. At the start of the year, there were 54 consecutive days of rain. We have been blessed with a couple of weeks of fine weather, but already we have a six-week hosepipe ban in a number of counties. There are towns and villages in my county that have not had a proper water supply for weeks. Uisce Éireann is spending €250,000 a year to tanker …

Uisce Éireann-----

I, too, want to commend many of the victims and survivors of Bill Kenneally, some of whom are joining us in the Gallery today. In any situation, it takes incredible bravery and courage to be able to come forward and tell your story, and more so when many of the organs of the State ignore you, do not listen to you and in some cases undermine you as well. These victims and survivors have not only ta…

In the past couple of years there has been a collapse of many forms of media in this country. The reason for this has been that the authors of content are not getting paid for their material. It is not that no one is getting paid for the material; there is a cohort of individuals who are getting paid, but they are the people who are creating the content. Journalism is an example. It is a key pilla…

8. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if he has assessed the potential impact of the draft national housing statement, particularly the proposed changes to occupancy requirements in multi-unit housing developments in Gaeltacht areas, on the implementation of the language planning process under the Gaeltacht Act 2012; and if he will make a …

A total of 2,119 pubs have closed since 2005, and another 1,000 pubs are currently at risk. It is estimated that 100 local shops close every year in Ireland, which means two shops are shut on a weekly basis. In the past decade, 257 post offices have closed; that is one post office closing every fortnight for ten years. Some 139 Garda stations were closed 13 years ago, and if you put it over a stre…

What is the Minister doing as regards information and stats to be able to develop rural Ireland?

He did.

The Minister can go ahead and I will come back in.

A part of that question focuses on the development in the Gaeltacht areas. Obviously, the Gaeltacht is the well of the Irish language. The Gaeltacht is currently at such a level where it is at the edge of continuance. This could be the last generation with the Irish language as a community language within the Gaeltacht. One of the big elements of the Gaeltacht has obviously been the ability to rai…

To illustrate the idea, if there are ten people in a bar in the Gaeltacht and one is an English speaker, there is a tendency for the other nine to default to English to make sure that the English speaker is not left out of the conversation. One of the big threats in Gaeltacht areas is often high numbers of English speakers. Once it gets past a certain threshold, it significantly changes the langua…

89. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of persons who have presented to accident and emergency departments with injuries arising from incidents involving e-scooters, whether as riders or pedestrians; and whether these incidents occurred on public roads, footpaths, or other locations, where such data is available. [52614/26]

There has been a big increase in the numbers of deaths and serious injuries caused by the use and misuse of e-scooters. E-scooters are now the biggest cause of traumatic brain injuries among children. Children are being killed and gardaí working in the area have been injured. CHI has reported that six children have been admitted to intensive care in Temple Street with traumatic brain injuries, fol…

I appreciate that it is the job of the accident and emergency departments to treat patients, but I also believe that you cannot manage if you cannot measure. The collection of data on public health issues is a key element to track the development of a public health crisis through society. I also understand that some of the issues around this are not necessarily under the Minister's Department's di…

I agree that it is important to focus on the outcomes of these tragic and serious accidents and the fact that many of these injuries are brought to the grave and are lifelong injuries that completely negatively impact the development of these children through their lives. It is time we looked at the registration of these vehicles. These are powered vehicles that can travel at speed. They should be…

Adina Constantin, aged 50, was found dead in her home in Portlaoise on 5 July. Jamey Carney, aged 43, a mother of a teenaged girl, was found dead in her home in Killarney on 7 July. Masumeh Manojan, aged 31, was murdered in Clifden on 28 May. Eight women have been killed in this State so far this year. There has been a shocking increase in the rate of murder of women in Ireland and genuine alarm i…

I too commend the amazing work of Jordan and Cian Adams on their incredible journey. Doing 33 marathons in the space of 33 days is an incredible feat. I have done one marathon in 52 years and it is more than enough for me. Raising that level of funds and awareness throughout the country is absolutely amazing, and it reminds us that in this country, people have the power and one or two individuals …

Commuters woke up this morning to the news that Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, is considering putting up tolls on the Dublin Port Tunnel. It recommended an increase from €13 to €14 and said it was modest. On what planet is a €14 toll modest? We are told that the increase is to stop congestion. Why is it that when it comes to congestion the only tool in the Government's toolbox is a stick -…