In just two days some Irish citizens will exercise their right to vote and I strongly encourage people to come out in large numbers to exercise that right. Unfortunately the right is not universal. The right of Irish citizens to vote on Friday stops an hour up the road. Citizens in the North can win an All-Ireland, play for Ireland, stand in a presidential election and even be elected to the office but unfortunately they cannot vote in this election. The election on Friday must be the last presidential election whe…

Go raibh míle maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. Budgets are as much about political priorities as they are about financial commitments. This year’s budget was one of two halves. There was more for the have-lots and basically nothing for the have-nots. The ESRI has said losses will average 2% for households already struggling to deal with the cost-of-living crisis. It appears the budget for drug and alcohol task forces has been cut by 25%. The one line in the budget referring to tackling the drug crisis states th…

This Government and consecutive governments have failed the people of Ireland abysmally when it comes to housing. Every report and statistic underlines the abject failure in tackling the housing emergency. The most damning indictment of failed housing policies is the homeless figures. The most recent figures published make very sad reading. In Dublin tonight, 11,782 people are homeless. That is an increase of 1,301 over the past 12 months. In Dublin tonight, 3,813 children have nowhere to call home. Every one of th…

I have been contacted by parents and SNAs in schools throughout Fingal East. They have real concerns about the recently published SNA review process of the 2025-2026 guidelines by the National Council for Special Education, NCSE. The guidelines could risk serious harm to children with special education needs and I share their concerns. Any effort to tighten timelines or restrict criteria has the potential to deny children access to the supports that they need to grow, develop and thrive. The proposal for unificatio…

Our young people have to be given the best opportunity we can offer them. Although we cannot dictate to or lecture them, we can, of course, introduce legislation that will protect them and help them make positive decisions on their health and well-being. It would be hypocritical of me to stand up here and lecture anybody - I was that smoker; I was that vaper - but we must not bury our heads in the sand and pretend the challenges and consequences for young people will simply go away. People are rightly very concerne…

Energy companies are putting their hands into the pockets of working families and helping themselves to their hard-earned cash. This is happening because the Government is not holding these greedy companies to account. Its policy of appeasing these energy companies is causing huge hardship for people. People in Ireland are already paying the highest electricity prices in Europe and the fifth-highest price when it comes to gas. This is having a very real and negative impact on the lives of ordinary people in my cons…

This time of year is about going back to school for many families. That means getting the school bags, getting the books together, and getting the uniforms ready. For many families there will not be a school place for their child to get ready for. Sinn Féin is tabling this motion to highlight the terrible injustice and to put pressure on the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Government to listen and to act now. It is shocking to consider all of those families that have been abandoned by the Government. I am working with a …

Our hearts are broken at the sight of Palestinian men, women and children being targeted and killed while queuing for food and drink. In the West Bank, families are forced to endure unprecedented levels of violence from the Israeli state and illegal settlers. The GAA in Palestine has been working with local clubs across Ireland to provide Palestinian children with much-needed respite from the trauma of war. This week, we received the heartbreaking news that the Department of justice had refused the visas to facilit…

I acknowledge the staff in our health services. Every one of them should be proud of the excellent service they provide despite the challenges they face every day in our hospitals, healthcare centres and community programmes. The health service is challenged by growing waiting lists, longer waiting times, an undersupply of key workers and low morale. Almost every part of the health service is attempting to muddle through in the absence of an overarching strategic plan. This Bill is a great opportunity to change all…

Pride, as we know, has grown from being a small gathering in Dublin to a nationwide celebration of inclusion. It is a time when cities and towns across the island of Ireland take out the rainbow flag and welcome the progress made by the LGBTQI+ community in recent years. It is important that we recognise and celebrate the progress made but still we have more to do and we have to be vigilant. There are those who would roll back the progress and drag us back to a darker and more dangerous time. Sinn Féin condemns the…

I acknowledge Deputy Smith for bringing forward this legislation. For a resident and somebody who is representing people in the affected area, it is a matter of dire importance that some regulation is put in place. Sinn Féin has always had concerns on the potential conflict of interest with ANCA as the noise regulator. This is not least because of ANCA's and Fingal County Council's financial dependencies on the DAA. ANCA is based within Fingal County Council. The Minister of State should do a quick Google of the ex…

Unlike the Government, Sinn Féin has a plan to deliver an affordable, reliable and safe public transport system. This is key to building sustainable, connected communities. I moved to Swords 35 years ago. When I moved there, the population was 17,000; now it is almost 48,000. Unfortunately, the transport system has not kept up with the demands of the growing population. The then Fianna Fáil Government promised to deliver metro north. Thirty-five years on, it may have been rebranded as MetroLink but it has still fai…

The local property tax is an unjust tax on the family home. It should never have been introduced. A home should never have been turned into a financial asset. It should be treated not as a source of wealth but as a necessity. The original household charge was brought in during the crash when the troika came to town. Like many other measures from the time of austerity, it was supposed to have been temporary. Unfortunately, for struggling families, it has remained part of Government policy and has become part of the …

The housing emergency is the biggest challenge facing people in Ireland today. There is no leadership or strategy from the Government. Its response has been flip-flopping, chaos and confusion. This has a direct impact on public services with teachers, gardaí, firefighters and nurses unable to afford rent and unable to get a mortgage. It is time for this Government to wake up to the damage its policies are doing to our communities. My office in Fingal East is inundated with housing queries. Every day, I deal with pe…

Carers and front-line health workers are the backbone of our care system. I want to acknowledge the hundreds of thousands of home carers in Ireland who are our unsung heroes. Carers enable people to live independently in their own homes with dignity for as long as they can. This is hugely important for people's quality of life and it greatly reduces the pressure on our healthcare system. Home carers in Ireland are estimated to save the Government €20 billion annually through caregiving work. This amount is equivale…

We have gone beyond the stage of debate and discussion on the genocide being carried out by Israel in Gaza. Gazans are now being subjected to forced starvation. We see evidence of the crimes against humanity being carried out every day on our television screens, social media and right across all networks. There is no hiding from the evidence. Israel must be held to account for these actions. We all have our part to play in highlighting and opposing Israel's crimes against humanity. Ireland's support for Palestine i…

This Government has once again failed the most vulnerable. A total of 15,296 children are overdue for an assessment of need. It is nothing short of a scandal. It is a priority for Sinn Féin. We and the combined Opposition have come together to table a motion during Sinn Féin's Private Members' time, demanding that the Government moves urgently on this matter. Children are entitled to an assessment of need within six months under the Disability Act. The reality is different, however, and the Government is breaking t…

I thank the Deputies for introducing this Bill. It goes to the core of how workers can defend and improve their pay and conditions of employment. Workers need a Government that is on their side. For far too long, workers and their rights have just been an afterthought. Right now, Ireland, disgracefully, has what is among the most restrictive trade union legislative regimes in the developed world. The implication of these restrictions has been a decline in working conditions, living standards and real incomes, along…

The education of our young people is hugely important. We need to ensure it is carried out in a supportive and inclusive environment. Sinn Féin has a long-standing policy on choice and diversification in education. In our manifesto in 2024, we committed to developing a new strategy to support existing and emerging demands for diversification of patronage in school. This includes State co-education, multidenominational and community schools based on the provision of high-quality and inclusive education. The Governme…

Tackling the causes and consequences of the drug crisis has to become a political priority. The new national drugs strategy is the opportunity for the Government to do this. To ensure success, those at the heart of the drugs crisis need to be at the core of the process. Ignoring them is simply not an option. The Government must commit to working and engaging with families, communities and community-based drug projects. I have visited projects right across Dublin, including Frontline Make Change in Bluebell, Ballyfe…