Michael Collins

One hour for debate on such an important issue today is very unfair to the people of this country - the people who cannot pay their energy bills and the people pulling up to the filling stations who cannot pay for their fuel. We have found out today that part of this debate will kick out the farmers' rebate for farming contractors. That will not be tolerated. It could lead to strikes in this count…

The time limit on this today is very unfair. We tabled constructive amendments, which will not be listened to today and are being kicked out, effectively. I have been talking to the farming sector, which is very seriously concerned because the previous cuts, which we supported, also included a rebate for farmers. As that is going to be kicked away this time, the farmers are going to get an awful …

Every parent knows that September has become one of the most expensive months of the year. While free schoolbooks are welcome, many families now face growing costs for other items. Parents are being asked to purchase laptops that cost €400 or more, make increased payments for school transport and pay charges to cover examination fees. For hardworking families with two, three or four children trave…

This matter has been raised twice already this morning, but it is hugely important. I will make a personal appeal to the Taoiseach regarding Skyclarys and the further delay that has now arisen. Yesterday, Emma O'Shea came to Leinster House from west Cork with her mother, father and brother. I am in regular contact with Emma, but seeing her here again yesterday fighting courageously for a medicatio…

------because of delays. I urge the Taoiseach to please do everything in his power to get this medication across the line.

Emma's family and other families like them simply do not have time to wait.

Emma O'Shea and others living with Friedreich's ataxia are in the Public Gallery and outside the gates of Leinster House for a peaceful protest. Can we have a debate on the current status of Skyclarys reimbursement and will these sufferers have positive news?

Today is not a day for politics. It is not a day for point scoring or trying to win an argument; it is a day for listening, humility and acknowledging the profound suffering endured by those who were failed by the people and institutions that should have protected them. To every survivor who found the courage to come forward, we believe you, we hear you and we are deeply sorry for the vile crimes …

The principle behind this legislation is straightforward. People should be able to make informed decisions about their own safety when entering a relationship. I support the fact that publication is not automatic. It remains a matter for the courts following a final conviction, with judicial discretion and, in most cases, the consent of the victim. That is an important safeguard. However, we must …

I thank the Social Democrats for tabling the motion, which Independent Ireland will fully support. It is a brilliant motion. I want to put on the record my full support for the Before We Die campaign. I attended a meeting with the group in Cork city recently and I can honestly say it was a greatly attended and very moving meeting. Parents are being left in a crisis situation. This has been coming …

Deputy Gould is correct. I am not one bit impressed, and the other Michael Collins would not be either. While the discussions at the General Affairs Council were not directly about the Common Agricultural Policy or the Common Fisheries Policy, they were about something just as important, the money that will be available for both from 2028 onwards. Farmers and fishing families across rural Ireland …

With Electric Ireland raising electricity bills by 8% last week and Pinergy raising them by more than 80%, and more than 300,000 people in this country unable to pay their electricity bills, surely it is time for the Government to take action and have a proper debate in the Dáil as to how we can control these energy companies. They are out of control.

I am speaking today on behalf of families living with Friedrich's ataxia who are running out of time while waiting for access to Skyclarys, the only approved treatment for this cruel disease. For these patients, every week that passes means more mobility loss, more independence gone and more heartbreak for families watching their loved ones deteriorate. This disease does not wait for meetings, rep…

We in Independent Ireland will always welcome any extra funding to post offices. It is hugely important. Since I came into the Dail, I have spoken on numerous occasions about the safeguarding of local post offices. As welcome as the funding is, however, the serious question is whether it will stop the closure of post offices and make them a viable option. The only way to make something viable is …

I agree with the Bill and I thank Sinn Féin for putting it forward. However, when people come to my clinics in Cork, they are not talking to me about Green Papers, citizens' assemblies or constitutional reports. They are talking about trying to get a roof over their heads. They are talking about waiting months and years for healthcare. They are talking about crime in their communities, the cost of…

I concur with the welcome you made to the Croke family, a Cheann Comhairle. They have been so helpful to the people of Lowertown and Cross Barry for many years on a voluntary basis, helping people with local gardening and all the works that need to be done there. They are a great addition to be here in the Dáil today. Independent Ireland supports the objective behind this Bill. We all know that o…

When we discuss the cost-of-living crisis, we need to move beyond the headlines and focus on the reality facing households. The Government points to falling inflation rates as evidence the crisis is easing but inflation measures the speed at which prices are rising. It does not mean prices are returning to previous levels. According to analysis of CSO data, the reality is that overall consumer pri…

We need time for a debate on the mandatory retirement age for retained firefighters, who are currently required to retire at 62 despite meeting the same training and medical fitness standards as full-time firefighters. Given that full-time firefighters and other emergency services personnel can now serve until 65, there is a strong case for reviewing this anomaly and bringing the retirement age fo…

I thank Sinn Féin for tabling this motion. At this late hour, I thank most of the parties who have stayed in here to debate such an important issue. Last week when I raised these issues with the Taoiseach during Leaders' Questions, he outlined the level of Government investment in childcare, but investment is not the same as sustainability. The Taoiseach answered how much Government is spending; h…

I want to raise a very serious concern coming directly from front-line healthcare staff, particularly our advanced nurse practitioners. There is growing alarm at a proposal within the Department of Health to break the long-established pay link between advanced nurse practitioners, ANPs, and assistant directors of nursing, ADON. This is a link grounded in a Labour Court recommendation and one that …

I thank Deputy Charles Ward and his group for putting forward this motion. Would anyone in the Dáil like to be one of the people living in the affected homes? That is the reality we are asking families to accept. We all know that buying a home is the biggest purchase most people will ever make. It is the biggest expense they will carry in a lifetime. More than that, a home is supposed to be a pla…

Is the Taoiseach aware that parents of children with additional needs are now facing the prospect of being unable to access early years childcare services because of the Government's failure to support the childcare sector? In 2021, the Government made two clear promises, namely, that childcare costs would be reduced to €200 per month and that providers would be supported through a new core fundin…

My assessment is not way off the mark. I have sat down with early childcare providers and they are telling me this. They are the people who are on the ground. They know the crisis that is there. This is no longer a crisis but an implosion that is unfolding before the Government's eyes. The truth is that the Government has allowed the sector to drift from crisis into collapse. It is jeopardising th…

I do not think I will take the full amount of time I have. As a young fella growing up, AI had a totally different meaning in west Cork from what it means today. When we talked about AI, we were looking after animals and trying to bring a new type of animal into the world, but now AI refers to artificial intelligence. I do not know what they are going to call the artificial insemination man now. H…

I wish to address the devastating case of 19 women who were sexually abused by the former school principal in Dunderrow National School and who are now being forced to take legal action against the State to seek redress. Given that Louise O'Keeffe successfully established before the European Court of Human Rights that the State failed in its duty to protect children, how can the Government justify…