Danny Healy-Rae

Many people are looking forward to the Puck Fair festival in Killorglin this year. It has been going on for over 400 years and survived many obstacles, bad times and good times. It even survived Joe Duffy's attack on the goat. However, 14 publicans looked for an exemption until 3 a.m. from the District Court recently. They only got an exemption until 2 a.m. I believe they are appealing it. I hope …

Are Garda resources under so much pressure that we cannot afford an extra hour each night until 3 a.m. in order to maintain the tradition we have had in Killorglin? It was open all night at one time.

Are we under such pressure for Garda resources? I invite the Taoiseach, the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, the Chief Whip and the Ceann Comhairle to Puck Fair. All are welcome.

Is An Garda Síochána under so much pressure that we cannot afford an extra hour each night?

It is a yearly event. It has been happening for more than 413 years.

The Government is hurting everyone now with this hour because of Garda resources.

He knows what the place is like.

I am glad to get the opportunity to talk on this very important motion. I thank Sinn Féin for bringing it before us. I welcome all the people who had to come here to the Gallery, all the girls and women. We are sorry they had to come to highlight their condition and their problem, but why not, because they are very welcome here. It is sad to hear and see what they have had to suffer. We see a figu…

I am hoping the Minister of State will relay my story to the Minister for agriculture. Food security is of paramount importance. We all know if we do not eat, young or old, we will not last very long. It is sad when we see other people and children in need in all these war-torn places starving. We hear and we read there are 750 million people in the world starving, yet we seem to not be doing our …

I thank the Minister of State and for being here this late at night. He has thrown out a lot of figures there. My head is not like a computer but I can say to him he is going back to figures for what has happened up to now but I am worried about here on because as I told him, much land is being bought up and let go idle. Much land is being planted with solar panels. I am glad the Minister of Sta…

What about all the years before that when farmers could barely keep their heads above water?

I thank the Social Democrats for bringing this topic before us today. This topic is in everyone's mouth, that the cost of everything has gone up. There is a major difference between one supermarket and another. There are different prices in different towns. No one can understand who the regulator is, what he is doing or where he is because he is not visible to any of us. The regulator does not see…

I am glad to get the opportunity to ask the Minister of State to provide enough trains and carriages to bring the people from Kerry up to Dublin on Saturday and to bring them home. We are taking on Tyrone and we need our supporters there. We hope we will win the match. We will be looking for more trains then to come up again. We have one train service that operates at different hours of the day f…

I am glad to get the opportunity to talk on this important matter to allow an extension of time for planning developments that are held up for one reason or another. Indeed, we had this facility a few years ago, where applicants could get a second five years if they looked for it. The then Minister, in his wisdom, decided to stop that because he felt that developers were hoarding land, benefiting…

I, too, am glad to have the opportunity to discuss the matter. I thank Sinn Féin for giving us the chance to speak on behalf of the students. I welcome the students who are in the Gallery and wish them well for the coming year. There are a number of things at play here. Many families do not qualify for SUSI. As a result, parents and students have to work very hard to ensure they have funding to g…

I am glad to get the opportunity to raise this matter in the Chamber. First, I have to explain the present setup. The national primary road coming into Killarney from the Cork side is a very busy road as it is. It goes through what we know locally as Daly's roundabout and then carries on to the old bypass, which has been built for over 50 years, to Tralee, Killorglin, all of mid-Kerry and wherever…

All right. Sorry, a Chathaoirleach Ghníomhach.

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. He referred to roads that were under construction or near it. This is not under construction. Planning has not yet been granted. It is at the planning stage at present. Anyone who wants to make a submission needs to make it before Friday evening. The people of Kerry need to know what is happening because this will create chaos. The Minister of State sp…

First, I thank the Labour Party for giving us the opportunity to talk about this important topic. It is an emotive subject when families have to make the decision to put someone into a nursing home. I vividly remember when my father was not great and a decision had to be made. I am glad we were able to keep him in his own home with Kathleen Fitzgerald. I thank all the people, including Noreen Sul…

-----to keep people-----

-----looked after. All right. I am sorry.

I reject totally what the Deputy has said.

We have had Roughty Valley Co-Op-----

-----with 6,000 pigs in Kilgarvan for the last 53 years.

It is very unfair to make pig farmers out to be bad people, when they have been providing-----