Michael Collins

I welcome the continued support for outdoor seating and dining, which has proven to be one of the most practical and successful measures for our hospitality sector in recent years. This is not just about tables and chairs on a footpath. It is about breathing life back into our towns and village across Ireland, particularly in rural and coastal communities. Outdoor dining has created a vibrant atmo…

The summer programme or July provision is essential for children with special educational needs. This year, schools were given just one week to apply with late notice from the Department. Many schools missed the deadline through no fault of their own. I call for a debate on this issue and for an extension to ensure no child loses out.

This is a short Bill on paper, but one that carries significant consequences for how transport is planned and delivered across the country. Nobody on this side of the House is against better public transport. Far from it. For far too long, rural Ireland and regions like west Cork have been left behind when it comes to investment in transport infrastructure. People in our communities have been cryi…

I am not blaming the Minister of State. He is not the NTA. I will sit down with him, though. God Almighty, I would be delighted to do that. I appreciate his offer. I take-----

I am onto the NTA. I am on the board. I should not have to come to the Minister of State. I am there as a volunteer to deliver for people through the right channels, not to be running to the Minister of State's door every five minutes. I will go to the Minister of State, though. I appreciate that and anyone who offers an open door. I am not coming here to criticise. I am coming here to create solu…

Let us stop pretending that we do not understand the problem. The Government has had evidence for decades now, but what has changed for people with disabilities? The answer is very little, and the proof of the failure in this regard lies in the figures. Disabled people are far more likely to be living in poverty, not slightly more but multiple times more. We are talking about poverty rates of over…

Independent Ireland supports Deputy Stanley's motion. Some people in politics today are trying to paint neutrality as old-fashioned, outdated or somehow weak. The people of Ireland do not see it that way at all. The people understand neutrality because it is about independence. It is about Ireland making its own decisions, not taking orders from Brussels or NATO and not being dragged into conflict…

I will start where Deputy O'Donoghue left off in his excellent speech. I will just give an overview of where people stand in relation to NAMA. This Bill marks what the Government will present as a final chapter in the State's response to the banking collapse. We are being asked to wind up NAMA and transfer what remains of the IBRC into the NTMA to close the emergency structures created during one …

I want to speak on behalf of ordinary decent people out there who did the right thing all their lives. They worked hard, saved carefully and tried to put some money aside for their retirement. The problem is what happens when they are struck down with cancer, which is a very serious ailment that can in some cases lead to life-threatening situations. In more cases, it does not and they make a good …

I have been looking for a debate about short-term lets in the Dáil for the past two or three months. Yes, the can has been kicked down the road, and that is different from what the Government was saying for long enough, but the public needs to know what the future for them is in relation to short-term lets. A debate is warranted immediately.

It is now taking anything from four to six weeks for Garda vetting to be returned by the national vetting bureau. This is having a very real and immediate impact on the early years sector, a sector that, frankly, should be an absolute priority. Services are operating strict staff-to-child ratios and because of these delays, some are being forced to close rooms. That, in turn, is creating a huge kn…

Earlier this year, the Minister launched an important report in Clonakilty on wintering waterbirds. It highlighted the important good data habitat protection and the work being done by local communities. However, we also need to deal with the gaps. We still do not have a national bag data collection system. That has been an issue for years. The National Association of Regional Game Councils, which…

I have been in the House for over ten years and in that ten years, the Government has got it wrong. That is the bottom line. It does not matter where it is; whether it is urban or rural, the Government has got it all wrong in relation to housing and the crisis has gone from bad to worse. I hear a lot of Opposition Members shouting and attacking developers. I would not be in that attacking mode at …

On 15 April, I raised with the Taoiseach this issue about patients of the highly respected Dr. Fiona O'Reilly in the greater Clonakilty surrounds, who are not being seen by SouthDoc after-hours services, due to Dr. O'Reilly discontinuing her membership with SouthDoc. On 23 April, I received what I would call an angry reply from SouthDoc management, telling me that I failed to seek clarification on…

This Bill will widen the grounds for abortion after a baby is diagnosed with a life-limiting condition. Currently, the law allows abortion if the baby is not expected to live longer than 28 days after birth. This would be changed to allowing abortion if there is a fatal condition affecting the foetus, which is a more broad and general phrase. It is hard for most of us to imagine just what it means…

Local Link has been a game-changer for many communities throughout the country. I pay tribute to all those who have helped to deliver the service but, alarmingly, in recent times, new services where tenders were sought and received have been unable to run due to funding constraints. Services from Dunmanway to Clonakilty, Grange to Timoleague, and Bantry via Kealkill to Macroom were put out to tend…

Nobody disputes the need to save lives on our roads. Where there are real black spots, enforcement has its place. Let me be very clear that rural Ireland cannot be treated as an afterthought here. People outside of our small towns and cities rely on their cars every single day to walk, to farm and to bring children to school because public transport simply is not there. This strategy must not beco…

Let us cut to the chase with the language of these amendments and get to the reality of what people are asking at home. The foreign fishing vessels in our waters are, by and large, not there illegally. We all know that. They are there under EU rules. If they were acting illegally, though, would this legislation actually stop them? Would we see real enforcement or more talking while Irish waters we…

In principle, we will be supporting the Bill because of the importance it holds for the much-needed projects out there. I was in Galway recently and I met a lot of people in relation to Galway University Hospital. Staff are working in shocking conditions, with scaffolding in place for the past two years slattering around the place like frisbees. It is a bit of a joke in this modern era in which we…

I was going to mention the short-term lets and the legislation and the looming date of 20 May, but the advanced paramedics are out on strike today. I refer to the disrespect that is being shown to them. It is a long-standing pay dispute, going on since 2020. We need an urgent debate on it today in the House.

I thank nurses across the country. Without them, we would not have a health service, but the reality is that student nurses are being worked full time caring for patients while struggling to afford rent, transport and food. Much of this work is unpaid. Travel accommodation and fuel costs are pushing students into debt, hardship and even homelessness just to qualify. By the time they graduate, many…

In recent years, energy suppliers operating in Ireland recorded profits running into hundreds of millions of euro, even as households struggled with some of the highest electricity prices in Europe. That reality is why stronger transparency, oversight and consumer protection are not only justified, but necessary. This pressure has been felt most sharply in rural Ireland. When people in rural areas…

Early years providers across the country are contacting me in distress after receiving commercial rate demands from their local authority. These are essential community services already under enormous financial pressure and now they are being hit with unexpected bills that threaten their very viability. The Minister, Deputy Foley, has stated that rates decisions are a matter for Tailte Éireann and…

On 20 May, the people of this country doing short-term lets, Airbnb, etc., are supposed to sign up to a document. It is like a blank cheque. There is no legislation, despite being promised here for many years, never mind over the last number of months. I have been asking nearly every week for three months to bring the Minister before the Dáil to explain the situation. Do not expect people on 20 Ma…

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this important motion. There are families from flats in Dublin in the audience today. Good, decent people are being left to live in damp, mouldy, unsafe homes. That is simply unacceptable. I have seen it in towns and villages in west Cork, where people have been waiting years for repairs that never come. They are paying high rents while living in conditions t…