Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would like to remark on the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II yesterday. My God, the British forces know how to do ceremony. As I was sitting watching them with their medals on their chests yesterday, I was mindful of how mean we are in this country when it comes to recognising valour and the issuing of medals. We are still fighting our way through the Jadotville situation and various other acts of valour that have gone unrecognised in this country, and that is really sad.

I congratulate the Association of Irish Local Government, AILG members who took their certificate in continuing professional development, CPD, in the climate crisis and local government, through University College Cork. That was a tremendous initiative by the AILG to bring forward CPD courses like that for its members and it professionalises the local government members, which is a good thing.

My two colleagues have spoken on the forthcoming budget and it will be a tough time for Government. What we saw last week outside the gates of this building, where a group was there offering violence to Members of this House as we were trying to come in to do our work, was just unacceptable. I know there will be statements next week about the budget and there will be criticism of it, and I may be one of those criticising parts of it myself, but it is extremely important, given the level of tension there is in the State and the level of pain and poverty people are suffering, that we all restrain ourselves and not feed the machine. Things are bad enough without making them worse, and I am saying that to myself and everybody else who will have an opportunity to speak on the budget next week. It will not be an easy time when we hear about electricity bills going from €17,000 to €47,000. My electricity bill has doubled from the €100 per month I have been paying for I do not know how long to €200 per month, and I expect to reach €250 shortly. The bottom line is families will suffer, so it is important we do not fuel the machine and that we deal realistically with what has to be done.

With that in mind, I put some photographs on my Facebook page of food being served to Ukrainian refugees and there was a disgusting level of comment from citizens of this State, saying they are all right, they have roofs over their heads and to hell with them because they are getting a meal, even if it did not look the best. We in this country, the taxpayers of this country and this Government, have paid dearly for these hotels, so the least they might do is produce food and in a way that is presentable for people to eat. I wrote to one of the hotels and I noticed it moved from polystyrene to plates - not a big ask, really.

I will leave it at that. Let us not fuel the machine as we go through these bad times.