Cathy Bennett

The Minister may want to try to deflect from her statement today but Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are responsible for the SNA crisis. It is of their own making and is compounded by their chaotic, uncertain handling of the mess. Letters did go out. It would be something if they recognised the distress caused to parents, children and SNAs, held their hands up, recognised their mistake and apologised. T…

Which one?

151. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he will provide an update in relation to SEAI grants for windows and doors; the length of time the grant will open for; if applicants have to pay upfront; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14361/26]

Will the Minister provide an update on SEAI grants, the length of time applicants will have to apply for these grants and how the scheme will work up terms in relation to upfront payments and reimbursement?

I thank the Minister. He has basically answered the next questions I had for him. I am delighted that the grants will be upfront, and people will not have to provide the money. That is what he said. That is correct. There will also be no loans required. People will not require a loan in order to get the grant. It will be paid upfront, and people can go to get their windows or doors, or whatever re…

I thank the Minister and welcome it. If you require the State-backed loans, are these available to everybody in rural Ireland and has rural Ireland applied for these grants in large numbers before? Another issue I have is of a household that had received a SEAI grant previously for cavity bead insulation 30 years ago. Are people like this allowed to go again and reapply for the new upgrades?

Biosecurity incidents have the potential to devastate farm enterprises. Our farmers do their utmost, investing their own time and labour and complying with biosecurity restriction in order to best avoid outbreaks of TB, avian influenza or any other similar threats. Has the Minister examined if bluetongue can spread in deer? It is crucial to the State that he do so because wider outbreaks have the …

The Government has utterly failed to tackle the energy rip-off through inaction, with the national energy affordability task force meeting only three times since Government formation and no action on cutting energy costs while this crisis continues unabated. A total of 360,000 households are at risk of being cut off due to stealth disconnections relating to pay-as-you-go meters while 300,000 peopl…

Every state requires a functioning internal protection system. Being fit for purpose requires such systems to fit a number of criteria. It is regrettable that the Minister is not only failing on every front in this regard but his approach in this Bill is, in effect, an abdication of his responsibility. Nothing is more indicative of this than his response to my party colleague Deputy Carthy in the …

The actions taken in recent weeks by some individuals regarding Grok AI were deplorable and a response from this House is absolutely necessary. This Bill will address the lacuna that exists within current legislation to cover the generation of intimate images through the use of AI. Zero tolerance should mean that where new issues or threats arise or are identified, action is taken in a timely man…

13. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht for an update on the implementation of rural proofing. [8717/26]

I want to ask the Minister, Deputy Calleary, to consider rural communities when making policies.

I must say that is an incredibly disappointing response. Let me tell the Minister what I heard. The last Government committed to developing a rural proofing model. The Minister took a look at it and said, "Hey, presto. It turns out we were doing it perfectly all along." The Minister then decided to make this a guide for rural proofing for policymakers. The Minister can do more. Where is rural proo…

A budget for rural transport does not cut it. I accept that the Minister inherited this poor, lacklustre approach to rural proofing from his predecessor. It comes across as a box-ticking exercise; a sop to those who care about it while the Minister ditches an idea his Government decided not to follow through on. I appeal to the Minister to review the Rural Needs Act 2016 that was introduced to th…

Irish roads are growing increasingly dangerous with 190 people losing their lives in 2025. There have been some truly horrific accidents on our roads in the north east in recent years. I have no doubt the Ministers of State have the same reaction as the rest of us when they see reports of collisions and loss of life and that they absolutely wish to meet the objective of achieving vision zero, that…

Entire shifts of ambulances are operating in Monaghan without an advanced paramedic car. There are delays in handover and staff suffering from burnout. In 2023 and 2024 my party and constituency colleague, Matt Carthy, raised the cases of young boys seriously injured at football matches left waiting upwards of three hours for ambulances. In the latter case, the Taoiseach clapped himself on the bac…

Is there one in Monaghan?

He never answered my question as to whether there will be one for Monaghan.

I welcome the farmers who have come to see the real Government tonight. They are very welcome to the Dáil Chamber. Here we go again. Hot on the heels of the fake opposition to the Mercosur trade deal, the arrogance of the Government is palpable. The Government will hector and lecture Irish farmers about environmental standards while failing to meaningfully oppose European measures clearly designe…

Most of us are farmers-----

We are sticking up for the farmers.

That is right.

You are on social media all the time. Deal with the issue.

The Government-----

Stop your deflecting-----