Regina Doherty, MEP

In the Seanad this week, Fine Gael Senator for Louth and East Meath, Jim D’Arcy, has slammed remarks made by Sinn Féin Councillor, and General Election candidate Mícheál MacDonncha who said ‘It’s not political correctness. It is the inferiority complex and anti-national attitude of the West Brits who still run Irish rugby.’

“Micheál Martin was Minister for Enterprise during a time when small businesses and the self-employed were side-lined in favour of an unsustainable construction bubble. Fianna Fáil is fooling nobody as they now scramble to come up with a policy to support those they neglected for so long”, says Fine Gael TD for Cork East and member of the Fine Gael Standing Up for Small Business internal working group, Tom Barry.

I thank Deputy Heydon for allowing me to share some of his time. I would like to join him in looking at things in our own locality. In 2007, the Fianna Fáil Party pulled the endoscopic unit at Naas General Hospital from the capital programme.

Dáil Question No: 33 To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding the provision of a public swimming pool for Kildare North, particularly considering the long delays to date and the recent closure of the pool at National University of Ireland Maynooth; his views that all efforts need to be made to provide sporting facilities, such as public swimming pools, to local communities to encourage a more active lifestyle; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Dáil Question No: 7 To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide an update on the upgrading of the N7; when works will be scheduled to commence; the expected completion time for this project; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

To ask the Minister for Health if the Health Service Executive will consider including the Sapropterin drug, Kuvan, in its Re-imbursement Scheme, in order to help patients here with Phenylketonuria; and if he will make a statement on the matter?

To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when she will announce the location of the new Educate Together secondary school to serve the Stepaside/Ballinteer area, Dublin which is due to open in September 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter?

To ask the Minister for Finance the way in which the legislation governing the Rent-A-Room Scheme prohibits the exclusion of Airbnb from the scheme or if this is an interpretation of the legislation by the Revenue Commissioners; and if he will make a statement on the matter?

To ask the Minister for Finance his plans to respond positively to the Council of Europe Development Bank request to supplement their proposed new grant facility to finance emergency reception and transit centres of asylum seekers; and if he will make a statement on the matter?

Fianna Fáil have abandoned all pretence of being interested in the economy. They prefer to engage in political theatrics to disguise the fact that they have no economic plan to secure the recovery.