Michael Collins

Heads down the whole time, looking at your phones when you should be listening to the speeches.

No respect for the young people up there.

I speak to the Minister today not just as leader of Independent Ireland or on behalf of my constituents, but on behalf of the tens of thousands of people across this country who feel ultimately betrayed by a Government that has wilfully ceded Irish sovereignty, ignored countless opinion polls and placed the interest of Brussels and bureaucracy above the basic needs of its own citizens. The Governm…

I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward this very important motion today. I am sure there is not one person in the Dáil who saw the documentary who was not disgusted by the way our elderly were being treated. If big businesses are treating our elderly in such a terrible way, we must ensure we do all we can so that this does not continue. That said, we cannot tar everybody with the one brush…

As so many speakers have said, the war and the scenes taking place out there are horrific. Nothing hits an Irish person more than to see millions of young people, or any person, facing starvation. It could not hit a deeper note in the mind of any Irish person because we have had this in our own history. It is something that will never be forgotten in the history of this country and what is happeni…

We need to have statements today on higher education, especially on the confusion regarding fees. Since the announcement, a lot of parents have told me that they are having discussions around their tables about whether their child will go to college and whether they can afford to send the child to college or not. That is not a discussion that families should have. Our children and young people wan…

Island funding is crucial for many of our islands but its distribution needs closer scrutiny. The Bere Island Projects Group, which covers Bere Island, Whiddy Island and Dursey Island, has three full-time staff and must manage office, utilities and running costs from a budget that saw only a 2.1% increase. This is insufficient for standard cost-of-living requirements, in comparison to smaller isla…

We in Independent Ireland stand firmly behind the implementation of the EPSEN review report recommendations. The time has come for long overdue justice for our children with additional needs. We have seen two decades of delay since the EPSEN Act was passed in 2004, yet here we are with the core rights promised in law, like individual education plans and proper assessments, still unfulfilled. This …

It is disappointing that the Minister of State seems to be putting in amendments opposing the proposal. If this proposal was worked on, it would create a strong solution in relation to housing. Sometimes I wonder what the reasoning is behind the Government trying to block any good proposal being put forward. I thank Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice, John Campbell and Mark Nolan for putting this motion t…

Laya Healthcare provides many different levels of private health insurance. One of my constituents purchased one of its plans at a substantial cost of €1,470 per year. Regarding cancer care, the policy clearly stated that it covers treatment to stop the spread of cancer and, where possible, to remove it entirely. All of the company's schemes have comprehensive cancer cover and best in class approa…

We need a discussion about education, school size, class sizes and the capitation grant. Many schools are under immense pressure. I have been requesting statements in the Dáil. We also need a discussion about immigration and migration with regard to Citywest. I would appreciate it if we could find time this week to discuss those issues.

Jennifer Marley is 88 years of age and has been living in rented accommodation-----

In fairness, I never interfere in anybody else's time for questions. I would appreciate if all Deputies would pay the same respect.

Jennifer Marley is 88 years of age and has been living in rented accommodation in Bantry for the past six years. She has received a notice to quit her rented home as the landlord wants to sell. We are frantically trying to get Jennifer a house she can call her own as she is not suited to sheltered accommodation at 88 years of age. Tomorrow, Independent Ireland will put forward a motion in the Hou…

The recent "RTÉ Investigates" documentary "Inside Ireland's Nursing Homes", which aired on 4 June, showed us all the terrible conditions in some nursing homes in the midlands and Dublin. We were all horrified and shocked by the programme and the way the most vulnerable in our society are being treated - by some. I do not want to tar everybody with the same brush. When we hear what is said in this …

Independent Ireland believes we must give all people on the island of Ireland the right to vote in presidential elections. It makes no sense that people who live on the island of Ireland - North and South - cannot vote for the President of Ireland. It would ensure that all Irish citizens, regardless of their residence, have a say in electing the Head of State, fostering a sense of inclusion and re…

My constituents are deeply concerned about the proposed closure of Perrott House mental health care facility in Skibbereen, County Cork. This residential care facility, which is staffed for 24 hours, has been home to many long-term residents, providing them with essential programmes like horticulture, music, poetry and art, as well as access to the local library, church and shop in Skibbereen. The…

Connecting Ireland is disconnecting quite a number of places, but I do not want to start with a major criticism. There have been great successes in my constituency, Cork South-West, in relation to Ardgroom, Bantry to Sheep's Head, Crookhaven, Goleen, Lowertown, Schull to Skibbereen, and Baltimore to Skibbereen, where a second bus has been put on the route is so popular. These are the routes that n…

The Government yesterday announced the purchase of Citywest, the main hotel and conference centre, at a cost of €148 million. What are the projected running costs? Will the State still be renting the CityArk complex, which has 400-plus rooms, from Tetrarch? The cost per person per night is €84. How much is that per year? Doubling the capacity of the site would mean the population of the IPAS centr…

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the Bill. The Minister will know I am not a man who is interested in theatrics or Government back-pats, but a Deputy elected by the people of west Cork to speak truthfully and plainly about the reality we face in the absolute failure this emergency RPZ Bill represents. This legislation is not a solution. It is a symptom of a Government chasing headline…

I will do my best. I cannot do any more.

We need statements on education. Primary schools are going through a serious crisis. I met with representatives of the INTO last week, as others probably did too. We need to look at class sizes, but the capitation grant was the big issue. Basically, schools cannot pay the electricity bill. If we cannot at least give them proper funding to allow them to continue their proper functions as primary sc…

Local property tax was set out to be tax for local authorities. I am not totally opposed to any tax as long as it delivers on exactly what it was meant to be. I will outline to the Minister exactly where it did not deliver in County Cork in recent years. A road at Allihies collapsed and there is no longer a lead road into that community. The council does not have money and has basically walked awa…

During the election, Independent Ireland said a housing emergency needed to be declared and everyone ran away. Now it seems as though we are rushing through legislation in the Dáil this week in a frantic bid to try to overturn the emergency that is there. There are 15,000 people without homes, which is a huge emergency for those in that dire situation. I am inundated every weekend when I hold clin…

This country is crying out for accountability from regulatory bodies as we stumble from one scandal to another. Last week, I attended a public meeting in Oranmore, Galway, with Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice and Councillor Declan Kelly and met with parents whose children had been scammed by a local orthodontist and neglected by the Dental Council of Ireland. These parents paid large sums upfront in 20…