Cathal Crowe

The Deputy is making the conflation, not us.

He should represent the issue and not-----

We do it every day.

Shameful.

I thank the Minister and am glad to have the opportunity to participate in the debate. This is a very serious and emotive issue. It matters to an awful lot of people. Sometimes there are debates when the political charges across the House add value but I was disappointed by Deputy Alan Kelly a short while ago. I was quite surprised by his character. It is not something I would expect from him. As …

Schools. Okay, fair point. The Deputies might speak through the Chair next time. The point I am making on living arrangements is that there is no one living in gendered segregation. It is not right for the men living there and it is not right for their spouses, girlfriends or family members. It is not right at all and it needs to be part of policy going forward that we integrate. I spoke in a deb…

County Clare is the heartland of suckler beef, with 85% of farming in the county being suckler beef-based. I farm myself. We have Hereford, shorthorn and Dexter cattle. It does not sit well with farmers in Clare and other counties in the west that we could enter a Mercosur deal. The type of cattle we raise in the west are pasture-based for seven months or eight months of the year. Then they are ho…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill this afternoon. It is really important. There is not a shop you can go to in the country where you will not see bins outside the door littered with these awful looking disposable vapes. There is also some kind of trend to stick the stickers peeled off the top of these disposable vapes all over the bin. They just seem to be everywhere. I will get to t…

I am glad to have the opportunity to contribute to this debate. At the outset, I acknowledge the huge efforts the Minister of State made personally, along with his team, in the negotiation field in the past few weeks. Every effort was made by the Minister of State and his team to try to get a good deal for Ireland. What has really happened here is a ganging up of other European countries. We often…

I would like to contribute on the amendment.

I was following the debate in my office. I see this as a good amendment. I do not know if it is going to be accepted tonight or whether it can be factored in at a later stage. I join with what other speakers have said. There was a time when we were a more innocent country. People would set off on holidays and put the VCR under the pillowcase, pull the curtains and hope that no one would break into…

There are some really good solid proposals here. I hope they can pass without any kerfuffle tonight. A few things were an eye-opener for me. I listened to the early part of the debate and then returned to my office, but I came back here. Some political parties and politicians are totally divorced from what is involved in farming and rural life. They expressed concern that a farmer should be given …

Amendment No. 2 in the name of Deputy Charles Ward has been ruled out of order as it involves a potential charge on the Revenue.

Amendments Nos. 3, 13, 62 and 74 are consequential on amendment No. 63. Amendments Nos. 3, 13, 62, 63 and 74 are related and may be discussed together.

Amendment No. 4 has been deemed out of order as there is a potential charge on the Revenue.

Amendments Nos. 5 to 7, inclusive, and amendment No. 60 are related and may be discussed together.

There are a few points I wish to make on these amendments. First, option B is what a lot of people in County Clare are getting. It means that outer and inner leaf will have to eventually be demolished, but the roof has to be kept. That is what they are being told. They are all telling me it is impossible to get a contractor. When contractors come out and look at the property, they wonder whether t…

Yesterday, a large number of people in the village of Newmarket on Fergus, County Clare, received a letter advising them that their local GP surgery would close and all operations and appointments would be moved centrally to the Saffron and Blue clinic in Clarecastle. One might say what about it, is a doctor not allowed to make those decisions? I would say that the answer is fundamentally "No". It…

Before I speak to this subject, I congratulate the Ceann Comhairle and the staff of Leinster House for the event yesterday. We have all seen the analysis of our distinguished guests, as has been well covered in the media, but it is important to pay tribute to the ushers, the administrative office and the office of the Ceann Comhairle. It was a special and historic day and it passed off quite well.…

I apologise to my colleague. I was on the wrong clock and I was thinking, "He has gone a minute over time" but he was within time. He will be looking back at the video asking, "What was your man doing there behind me?" I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on this. The Minister and Minister of State, Deputies Browne and O'Donnell, are two good men leading the Department. This plan is ambitio…

She is a serial objector.

Will the Deputy rejoin us?

Will the Deputy rejoin us?

That sounds like a rejoining speech.

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak here this evening. There are a few points I would like to make. First of all, I think the Minister is doing a good job. It is a very difficult Department. I think everyone would acknowledge this, including predecessors who have held the position. The Minister has made a good start and I hope he succeeds in all areas that he is seeking to lead out on. I w…