Many businesses and people in Killarney and elsewhere in Kerry are very disappointed that VAT was not reduced in the budget. The failure to do this has traumatised a lot of people. Indeed, in College Street, Killarney, last Saturday morning, a man came over to the door of my car in the pouring rain to highlight his disappointment. Many businesses were clinging on and hoping they would get this boost in the budget but they did not. Restaurants, bars, sweet shops, souvenir shops, hairdressers - many of these are under pressure, combined with the recent rules and regulations and the reduction in footfall caused by an influx of thousands of Ukrainians and other immigrants into our hotels, guesthouses and other places.

The Government cannot have it both ways. It can either support our tourism product or fill the hotels with immigrants. It is one or the other. Many businesses are struggling to pay the rates and also cope with increased wage costs, electricity costs and many other rules and regulations. Many doors will close, and every one that does will have a knock-on effect. There is also unemployment benefit and redundancy payments. We will see in two or three years that whatever Government is in office will spend a lot of money to entice people to open their doors again.

For carers, the means test is very unfair. We had a motion about this a few weeks ago and the Government did not oppose it. The assumption was that it would lift the means test. We have a lack of GPs and the Government knows what is causing it. Thousands of immigrants have come into our county-----

Will you stop blaming everything on immigrants? It is disgraceful. He is blaming immigrants for everything.

Deputy, will you please let the speaker continue?

We are on the back foot all the time trying to get funding for roads. The Killarney bypass has been going on for over 24 years. I am asking the Taoiseach to put money into this next year. People are parked in their cars on all the roads into Killarney.

The Blackwater Bridge Road from Blackwater Bridge to Sneem was built for horses and carts 200 years ago. What was done? A cycleway was built for 1 km in the middle of the Ring of Kerry, coming from nowhere. There is no cycle path coming to it or going out of it. That is where the money has been squandered.

That is a matter for Kerry County Council.

The squandering of billions of euro on migrants, bicycle sheds, huts, phone pouches-----

This is unacceptable.

The endless anti-immigrant talk is unacceptable.

Deputies, please.

Millions of euro is given to RTÉ and no funding at all for independent radio.

Deputy, your time is up. Leaders' Questions are to focus on one issue, not a range of issues.

Yes, and not scapegoating particular groups.

Many working people have been-----

The time is up, Deputy, please.

They will not let me talk, a Cheann Comhairle. I do not interrupt them people, but you know something, I will from now on.

You have got a good bit in.

I will have something to say to Deputy Bacik as well.

Bring it on.

Please, Deputy, do not say anymore.

She was the person who said she would build 1 million homes. Now she is proposing adding another bicycle shed.

Will you resume your seat, please?

Since when did she become McAlpine?

Deputy, please.

She wants a bicycle shed outside the door while people in Kerry are suffering trying to keep going.

That does not even merit a response. It is outrageous.

It is the truth.

It is ridiculous nonsense.

Ivana McAlpine.

I will suspend the House if people do not have a bit of manners. The Taoiseach to respond.

We are up to seven or eight issues. In the limited time available to me, I will do my best to help the Deputy. First, the challenges he outlined have nothing whatsoever to do with immigration, including the shortage of GPs and the like. That does not stand up to scrutiny. The same is true of the issues in the hospitality sector and the like. In fact, many parts of the hospitality sector significantly benefit from people coming to our country and working in those facilities. It is important we are factual in our comments here.

We very much value small businesses. We very much value the hospitality sector.

You do not show it.

Sorry, Deputy, the way this works is you ask seven questions in one and then I try to answer them.

In the budget, we did our best to respond to and support those businesses. I know how important tourism and hospitality are to Killarney and County Kerry. Even as recently as today, the Cabinet considered the detail of the €170 million power up scheme. Under this scheme, all retail and hospitality businesses that previously received an increased cost of business, ICOB, grant will receive a flat energy grant payment of €4,000 this year. I have no doubt the Deputy will actively help people in County Kerry to apply for that. He will be going into the shops, cafes and hotels and telling them to apply for it. It will be very easy to do so. If people already got the ICOB grant, they will be sent an email with a link they can click on to declare they are still in business and still paying rates. They will get the €4,000 before Christmas. That will make a big difference.

In addition to that grant, over the past six month, the ICOB scheme has paid out over €242 million to almost 75,000 small and medium businesses, including a double payment to 39,000 businesses that are either in hospitality or retail. By any objective and fair measure, this is an unprecedented level of intervention in the sector. It is the right thing to do, because these businesses are the backbone of our economy, but it is an unprecedented level of intervention.

I fully accept that there are real issues in regard to the cost base for hospitality businesses and small businesses in Ireland. The Minister, Deputy Burke, is considering how best we can review the impact of the range of costs that have, admittedly, come at small businesses at a very fast pace. On top of that, we announced a plan in the budget, under the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, for a national training fund. This will see up to €20 million available for businesses to upskill their staff, with €8 million targeted at small and medium businesses. I know there are small businesses in Kerry that will benefit directly from that in terms of not having to pay the training costs for their staff. We are able to do that to assist them.

On the issue of carers, I have already outlined a number of the measures we have taken. We intend to take more. The record of the Government is one of year-on-year increasing the financial supports available to carers and the number of carers who can access those supports. I accept there is more to do. That is the work of the working group, which will conclude this year.

On roads, our work continues. Indeed, I was with the Deputy very recently at the opening of the Listowel bypass.

Many businesses have already closed, and many others were waiting and hoping the Government would reduce the VAT to 9%. It did not do that. The Taoiseach talks about the €4,000. What about the people whose rates went up from €20,000 to €80,000 or from €5,000 to €20,000? How will the €4,000 help them? The Government is trying to fool the people but, like the man who came out in the pouring rain to me last Saturday, they are waiting for the Government on the doorstep.

Speaking of the carers, the Government has been desperately unfair to those people, given the great work they and the home helps do.

Then there are the beds that are closed in the Kerry hospitals. What did the Government do to help them in this budget? Because-----

You have to focus on one issue, Deputy, not two or three.

I was never told that. I am talking about the budget. How many issues is that? There are a lot of problems for the people I am representing. You must write out your rules. I thought I was talking about the budget. What else am I talking about? It is all connected to the budget. There are people interrupting me over here and over there, and the Ceann Comhairle is stuck in me now. What hope have I or the people of Kerry if we cannot highlight their issues?

You are talking shite.

The Government let them down. It had the opportunity. It has more money spent under Members' noses and eyes on huts and bicycle sheds-----

All right. Thank you, Deputy.

It ordained them and paid for them.

Thank you, Deputy.

At the same time, as regards the OPW, there are so many more rivers. It happened in Bunane this week. They could not go up the road because the Government will not let anyone clear out the river. It has gone-----

I do not think there is anything in the budget about that-----

Time?

-----so can we please leave it at that?

There is nothing for it in the budget.

All right. Thank you.

It is just Deputy Healy-Rae who gets an extra minute.

The point is made. The Taoiseach, please.

I do not know where to start there other than to say I hear Deputy Healy-Rae's passion for the people of Kerry, one that we share here. There are a number of things we have done in the budget that I know will make a real and meaningful difference to people in County Kerry. I can list a number of projects we have worked on, many of which the Deputy has been at the openings of, whether it is the delivery of a university for Tralee - Kerry is now a university county and Tralee is a university town - or whether it is the road infrastructure, the likes of the Listowel bypass, which, by the way, came in on budget and on time-----

After about ten years.

Do not shout at me; you had a good run.

The Killarney bypass has been waiting for 24 years, and you are talking about-----

I am doing my best. On top of that-----

You had nothing to do with the ordaining of it anyway - not one bit in the world. It was ten years ago.

I am not sure the Deputy wants to hear my answer.

There was no account of you.

Thank you. That concludes a colourful Leaders' Questions.