Cathal Crowe

We now move to Committee and Remaining Stages of the Finance (Local Property Tax and Other Provisions) (Amendment) Bill 2025.

Yes, we will suspend for five minutes to give everyone time to get to the Chamber.

I welcome the opportunity to speak in these statements. Like everyone, I was appalled by what I saw on the "RTÉ Investigates" programme. The flood of emails and phone calls that came in the following day from sons and daughters of elderly people who are in nursing home care, fearing that HIQA does not have eyes correctly on the situation in many scenarios. I agree with others that it has unfairly …

62. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence for an update on plans to base Air Corps aircraft at Shannon Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31129/25]

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this discussion. As other speakers said, it is important that we move in the near future to full membership of CERN. It is an incredible organisation at the cutting edge of science. The health sciences showed us during the Covid years how important it is for countries to work beyond international borders. Scientific questions, health problems and crises n…

I wish to clarify a speech I made yesterday in the Dáil, correct the Dáil record and apologise profusely to anyone who may have been offended by my comments. The speech I made was during the debate this House had on Gaza. I was speaking without a scripted speech and instead using a series of bullet points. I began by stating that the Israeli eye-for-an-eye approach has been reprehensible and that …

112. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform for an update on the National Development Plan Review. [27720/25]

172. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has had any recent discussions with his Ukrainian counterpart; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26984/25]

173. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if any further sanctions will be imposed on Russia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26983/25]

The 7 October terror attacks on Israel are to be condemned outright but the eye-for-an-eye approach adopted by the Israeli state since has been indefensible. The bombing of hospitals, schools and tents and the killing of children and babies, including newborn babies in hospitals, is reprehensible. It is the worst we have seen in our lifetime. What is happening is not a war anymore; it is ethnic cl…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the leeway; I was chairing a committee. I want to ask about the HIQA report into emergency care in the mid-west region, in particular University Hospital Limerick. The report was commissioned early last autumn and is due to come to the Government by the end of this month or possibly early next month. Is there any update on that? When might we know the outcome? There…

It is my first time seeing the Minister of State sitting on the Front Bench. I congratulate her. She is a fine representative for Carlow and it is great to see her in the elevated office of Minister of State. I will make a few comments as part of this debate. I am glad that the programme for Government includes as a priority the abolition of the means test for carers. It is only right. It is sham…

I am sharing my time with Deputy Cormac Devlin. Sometimes they say a Minister is well geared to his Ministry. There is no better Ministry for Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan than the one he has. I congratulate him on his new role. It is great to see him sitting on the Front Bench. Those who do not know Deputy O'Sullivan, or Christopher as we know him on this side, should note that when he is not he…

I am glad to have an opportunity to speak on this matter. I disagree with the previous speaker. I believe learner drivers should be allowed to drive without someone accompanying them in the car. I live in a rural county and west of Ennis there is no Luas line, no DART and no public transport of any significance. It is costing youngsters in the region of €600 to €1,000 per month to stay in on-campu…

51. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Transport when he expects to initiate a review of the National Aviation Policy; the tentative timelines that the review will follow; the details of the way in which stakeholders will be consulted as part of the review process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22501/25]

I am sorry; I have just run up Kildare Street and did not realise my question was part of a grouping. We want to know when the review will happen. Importantly, when someone applies for a landing slot at the moment, it is solely judged through the metric of "Yea" or "Nay". It is either approved or disapproved by the IAA. We could have a regional development criterion to that application. It is unfa…

A flight from Clare would have made it easier.

I do not know whether it should be a ten-year strategy for aviation given aviation operates on a seasonal basis. So much can change from a winter to spring period. New routes get set up and some get pulled. It would be better to have a five-year plan with a midway review. I was out of breath earlier as I ran up Kildare Street and did not realise this question had been grouped. I make the point tha…

It appears there is not a shortage of driving instructors but there is certainly a shortage of driving testers. Some of the instructors could be brought over on secondment to do a day or two a week, perhaps in their own county or in the neighbouring county, so they could try to clear some of this backlog. That suggestion was made to me recently by the driver of a large vehicle, who said the waitin…

108. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media when his Department will run the next sports capital programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22505/25]

I raise the issue of horse control. Legislation in Ireland largely falls under the Control of Horses Act 1996. I was sent a photo by an American tourist over the weekend who visited our county. They saw a horse tethered to a metal pole outside a supermarket. This happens all around the country and it is inexcusable. The law is robust, but the enforcement is not. Nobody in this country can claim to…

Thank you, Deputy. I call Deputy Whitmore. Ceithre nóiméad, le do thoil.

Okay.

I call Deputy Sinéad Gibney.

Okay.