Danny Healy-Rae

You were looking for me. Here I am.

I am here. I was here all night.

I will not be protecting the foxes either.

I will not be protecting the foxes either like you will.

I will do whatever I like, madam.

I will-----

Tell them what you said about the foxes.

Save the foxes.

I will sit down wherever I like.

I am going out anyway.

She was looking for me, so I had to come in.

You did mention my name.

You will not say I was not here either-----

I am here and I have been all day and all night.

You will not-----

I am glad to get the opportunity to talk here tonight on behalf of the motion. I welcome all of the farmers here from around the country. I see people here who were at an IFA meeting in Kilgarvan last night, would you believe? They are up here and they are very welcome. All I have is my word and this Government promised me, going back to the start of the year, that it would be against Mercosur. T…

Many of them have let us down. Rest assured, my heart is with each and every one of the farmers. I know what they are going through day and night and I will continue the fight against Mercosur.

I will take no dictation from Deputy Daly or Jennifer Whitmore calling me out because I was here at the start and I will be here at the finish.

What did you say? I am supporting the farmers against the Mercosur deal and I will stand firm on that.

I am glad to get the opportunity to talk again on this social welfare Bill and auto-enrolment. We are hoping that in a very short time, the means test for carers will be abolished altogether. As I understand it, if you are caring for someone with a disability you are actually living their life. That is what many loved ones are doing. They have no choice in the matter. They do not think about it; t…

I am glad to get the opportunity to speak. I thank Sinn Féin for bringing this motion before us this evening. Motoring costs affect every man, woman and child on the road. Kerry is a very diverse county with three peninsulas, and if you are going anywhere, it is a long journey. People cannot manage without a car because without one, they are marooned. I will start off with the challenges young pe…

All right.

I wish to discuss the recent cuts in the sheep welfare and beef welfare farm payments which have happened recently. I am very disappointed about this. The farmers I am talking about are seriously disappointed about it. They had asked prior to the budget that the amounts they were to receive would be increased. On budget day we were assured that there would not be an increase but that last year's p…

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I know it is late at night. However, I am looking at my documents here and listening to her reading her documents and I make out that we are in two different worlds altogether and talking about two different things. The sheep farmers were expecting €13 and they are getting €11.50. The beef and calf farmers were expecting €75 and they are getting €67. Th…

I am glad to get the chance to talk about this serious and, for some people, emotive matter here this evening. I welcome the investment by Government in the ESB. It surely needs to improve when we see communities left without electricity for days and weeks in places such as Cordal, Brosna, Gneeveguilla, Glencar and Knocknagoshel earlier in the year because of a storm. I have to mention one aspect…