Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Thank you very much, Acting Chairman, for giving me an opportunity to contribute. I will be very brief.

I am very disappointed, hurt and angry at what we are discussing here today. This Bill will put a levy and more charges on farmers and people in rural Ireland. Let us think of all the people who cannot open their doors and employ the people they were previously employing. We have no money for home help for people who are trying to stay living in their homes for as long as possible. People are dying with maggots in nursing homes and there is no investigation into what is going on. There is no talk at all about carers. They are left in the wilderness. They are caring for people in their homes who cannot go to their day care centres or anywhere else. Men and women in their 70s and 80s are trying to mind their children who have physical and mental disabilities 24-7 in their homes. At the same time, we are talking about increasing levies and putting more charges on the people of rural Ireland, after what was done to them last night and this morning, so that their doors are closed. This is absolutely shameful. This is intended to put more colourful buses in Dublin, where there is enough transport. As I stated, there is nobody on the buses, other than two or three passengers. We are being told in advertisements every night that we should not use public transport where it can be avoided. This is what is going on inside this House. This event centre is costing hundreds of thousands of euro and this is what we are talking about – increasing levies on farmers and working people that are out early in the morning with snots in their noses. This is what we are trying to do to them, drive them down through the ground. We are an absolute shame. If this is evidence of the involvement of the Green Party, and if this is the Government we are going to have to persevere with day after day it is a shame and an utter disgrace. Thank you, Acting Chairman, for allowing me to speak.

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