Michael Collins

Yes. I know that too. That is tomorrow evening. We have done that through our Business Committee, but this is very relevant to online platforms as well. I set up groups and I talk to them day and night, trying to keep some of them informed and reassured. Thank God they are finally getting on flights tonight and making their way home, but others are still trapped. I have people stuck in the Philipp…

Here is the point. Without online platforms and without the ability to share honest information among ourselves and to pass on updates, warnings and bits of advice, these people would be completely on their own. The only lifeline they have right now is the information we can give them online and the information they can send back to us. Yes, online spaces can be dangerous and toxic - we know that…

They did nothing.

They destroyed the country.

They destroyed it.

I have raised Adrigole's public water crisis over 15 times in the last few months. There have been 22 mains water bursts since last July, with three alone last week, leaving local people and businesses without water, including the local crèche. Some were without water for ten days and the crèche had to close. Uisce Éireann is involved in a juggling game with the people of Adrigole, telling me a fe…

No. It promised me. Now it is saying May but it could be June.

So, they have no water as it stands.

Since I came into Dáil Éireann, I have been lobbying here for post offices. I did not hear it but somebody told me the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, said if we do not use it, we will lose it, and I respect that. I am 50 to 60 miles west of Kinsale but it is part of my constituency. I was in the Kinsale post office recently and they told me they were moving into new premises. I am de…

I acknowledge the representatives of the spina bifida paediatric advocacy group and the Scoliosis Advocacy Network, in particular the mothers who have carried this fight with dignity and determination. After our engagement with these parents, we know these concerns are rooted in the experience of children whose health has been affected by systemic failure. The very least those families deserve no…

I welcome the chance to speak on the legislation. We are dealing with a Bill that aims to make sure vulnerable people are not left in limbo because the State itself cannot process cases on time. While I will not go into technicalities that others have covered, the heart of this Bill is simple. It is to ensure that no person who depends on the courts for capacity-related decisions ends up caught in…

With the outbreak of the war in Iran, energy costs are going to go through the roof. An elderly lady told me she was quoted €950 on Friday evening. She was putting together the money for the weekend to ring them yesterday morning and it had gone up to €1,080. The Minister of Finance needs to come in here and talk about the temporary freezing of carbon tax to give people a little bit of ease in thi…

I want to highlight a serious housing crisis, not alone on Oileán Chléire, one of our most culturally important and geographically vulnerable Gaeltacht islands, but also on all islands in west Cork and throughout Ireland. Cape Clear is facing a future on a knife edge, with homes in desperately short supply and the long-term viability for the community under real threat. Despite the presence of doz…

I could keep going.

Our GP system is at breaking point. Every community in the country feels that. People cannot get appointments. Many cannot afford to see a doctor when they are sick. We need more GP training places, fairer supports for struggling practices and real action to keep doctors in local communities. If we want to fix healthcare, this is where we should start. I will highlight a very serious issue affect…

Over the past four weeks, I have been looking for a debate on short-term lets. I have also been asking the Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, to come here for a question-and-answer session. People from that sector are meeting today in a packed room across the road in Buswells. They know that what is proposed is going to lead to the ruination of short-term tourism in this country. The Taoiseach keeps no…

I would like a debate on this issue here today.

I welcome members of Kinsale Men's Shed who are with us today. I also welcome those in the Gallery involved in short-term lets who are fighting for their very survival and were in Buswells Hotel earlier today. The people of Ireland, mainly in coastal communities, are genuinely worried about what the Government is about to do with these short-term letting proposals. In places like west Cork, from K…

They are what keeps rural Ireland going. Rural Ireland has taken enough hits. Will the Government step back from this?

The Minister said different today.

In two years, it will be game over.

I was at a funeral recently. What happened there kind of summed matters up very easily. I was going along the queue and shaking hands with people. There was a fishermen at the end of the queue. What we said to me - even though I knew it, it shocked me to the core - was, "Thanks very much. Can I just say one thing to you? One day out - quota caught. Jesus, it's over." There was no point in me sayin…

If Deputy Tóibín does not arrive, Deputy Flynn will probably take his time. What has happened over the past few weeks with regard to special needs assistants has been nothing short of disgraceful. Families, schools and SNAs were thrown into turmoil because the National Council for Special Education sent out letters telling up to 200 schools that they would lose SNA support next year. In some case…

Many people, especially those in rural Ireland, stand to benefit greatly from fair, balanced and practical remote working arrangements. Reduced commuting, more time with family, lower carbon emissions and the ability to work closer to home are meaningful gains that improve quality of life and support regional development. However, we must also ensure balance. Employers need clarity, practicality a…

My constituents are deeply concerned about the imminent closure of Perrott House, a mental health care facility in Skibbereen. This residential care facility, which was staffed 24 hours, had been home to many long-term residents and provided them with essential programmes like horticulture, music, poetry and art as well as access to the local library, church and shops in Skibbereen. The HSE contin…